ANTS
by wolfmyjic
Summary: A string of sadistic murders lead Special Agent Seeley Booth and his partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan all over the Southeast. Can our favorite crime fighting duo figure out who’s behind the murders? And can they survive the ANTS? [Chapter 10 up!]
1. Prologue

**Title: ANTS**

**Summery: ****A string of sadistic murders lead Special Agent Seeley Booth and his partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan all over the Southeast. Can our favorite crime fighting duo figure out who's behind the murders? And can they survive the ANTS?**

**Rating: T+ with a few M chapters**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BONES or anything related to BONES. I do own all characters that you do not r****ecognize. The plot of this fanfiction is**

**© 2006 by ****WolfMyjic**

**Warning: This Prologue contains scenes that might make you itch. It's very different from my other fics in the fact that I'm describing a murder. I will warn when I have murder scenes or any other scenes that I feel may be adult theme.**

**Viewer (er, reader) discretion advised.**

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_Prologue _

_Somewhere north of Greenville, South Carolina…_

The evening sky was painted shades of purples and pinks. The birds' sung and crickets played their nightly tunes. No wind ruffled through the trees making the stifling heat that much more intolerable. And even though the man in the red baseball cap had told her he wouldn't kill her, Dahlia Lundy knew she was about to die. She stumbled as the man pushed her on the back. With her hands tied behind her, Dahlia had to struggle to keep her balance. "Walk faster," he said, pressing the gun between her shoulder blades. A sob escaped her throat but was absorbed by the gag in her mouth. Dahlia thought about all the things that she would never do in her life. She would never see her mom again or her best friend, Melissa. She would never finish college or go to Africa like she was saving to do. Dahlia also knew that she would never fall in love…never have children…never watch the sun raise over the ocean. She looked around while she walked. Her blue eyes wide with fear, looking for anyplace to hide. Somebody to try and call out to, but there was nothing. Just trees, underbrush, animals going about their business. Tears rolled down the young girls face, making the world appear washed out. "Stop," the man growled from behind her. Dahlia did what she was told. Her body trembled and her heart slammed against her chest. She looked up at the sky and preyed that God would spare her. That she would die now, before the monster with her could do whatever it was he was going to do. She pulled against her restraints, but they held fast. "Sit down." Dahlia did as she was told.

The man in the baseball cap wore a roll of duct tape on his left wrist like a bracelet. He pulled it off as he walked around her. Kneeling in front of the woman, he placed the gun on the ground. "Make a move and you're dead," he said. The man grabbed her ankles, and wrapped the tape around them. Pulling a knife from his pocket he cut the tape and then moved to her knees, where he wrapped it around again. He did this once more at mid-thigh. "That should do it," the man said. With a smile that made Dahlia stomach turn, he reached up and pulled down the gag. "Anything you want to say?" he asked sweetly. Dahlia spit in the man's face.

"You bastard," she yelled. "You piece of trash! I hope you rot in Hell!" The man wiped a hand over his face.

"I am in Hell, sweetheart," he told her, and then returned the gag to its original place. "We are all in Hell." He took a small bottle of honey and opened it. "You do know it's not you, don't you?" he asked as he drizzled the honey over Dahlia. She squirmed on the ground, but couldn't stop the gooey liquid from covering her clothes – shorts and a tank top, and her body. The man smiled, his perfect teeth making him look more like a model then a murder. "You'll thank me one day," he said. He put the now empty bottle back in his pocket and then reached down and picked Dahlia up. She let her body go limp in an effort to make it harder for him to pick her up, but it didn't work. The man carried her like he would his bride over the threshold. "I really am sorry. If there was another way, you know I would do it." Dahlia screamed against her gag. "Now, now, sweet one," he told her, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "No need to be frighten." The man stopped his short walk, and Dahlia looked around. Trying to understand how she was going to die. That's when she saw it. Four feet long, two feet wide and about a foot and a half tall. She instantly knew what it was. The castle of sand like dirt, quietly piled and patrolled by the devil's pets- _Fire Ants_. Dahlia screamed again against her gag and wiggled her body, but the man held tight. "Please tell her hello for me," he said before tossing her like a rag doll through the air. She landed with a thud on her back. The small beasts were immediately on defense. Dahlia struggled to get her bearing, to turn herself over- to crawl away, but the pain had started. They bit her on her legs, her arms. Down her shirt…her face. She swung her head from side to side trying to shake them out of her nose, her ears. Away from her eyes.

The man watched as Dahlia tried to fight. He watched as the ants took his revenge. With one final sigh, he turned away and began to walk. _Even if the girl gets out of the mound_, he thought. _No way will she survive that many bites._ A sadistic smile curled the man's lips, and he began to hum _It's a Small World_ as he left Dahlia to her death.

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_One question...are you itching? More to come...so keep a look out._

_TBC..._


	2. The Tag Along

**A/N: Thank you to everybody who has reviewed. It totally mean alot. Please bear with this chapter. It'll be explained! Thanks to Goldie for beta-ing!**

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_Special Agent Seeley Booth entered the office with little notice. A sharp knock-knock, then the door opened, and in he walked. Dressed in a tailored dark blue suit and jacket with a crisp white shirt, Booth was not at all what I was expecting. He carried himself with pride and honor, and perhaps an ego… his walk and stance portrayed just that. His hair was dark and his brown eyes shone with intelligence. One look at the FBI agent, and this writer knew that she was dealing with one of the best._

_Dr. Temperance Brennan quickly introduced the two of us, explaining why I was there. _

_Upon hearing that Dr. Brennan worked with the FBI to help identify bodies where normal ID procedures cannot be used, I thought of the two to four cases that I myself work on each year. When I learned that it was a more closely form partnership, between Dr. Brennan and one Agent Booth, to whom her latest book is dedicated, I had to call my old friend and see if the rumors where true. A scientist and a FBI agent…partners? How does that work?_

_-SB- _

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_Chapter One _

_The Tag-Along_

_Jeffersonian, Washington D.C. USA,_

Special Agent Seeley Booth strode into the lab at the Jeffersonian with purpose in his walk. His face was a mask of determination and focus. There was a manila folder clenched in his left hand. Angela Montenegro stood, leaning against an empty table, sketchpad pressed to her chest, arms crossed. She followed the agent on his march. She knew the look in his dark brown eyes…it meant that he was bringing a new case. And by the scowl that he wore on his face, he was getting his butt chewed to get it solved. Angela offered her favorite FBI agent a small smile, and when an equally small one got returned instead of Booth's trademark charm smile, she knew she was right. _Uh-oh_, she thought. _It's worst than I thought_. Booth stopped only momentarily outside of his partner's office to give a sharp rap before throwing the door open. "Bones, we've got a case," he said, walking in and coming to a stop at her desk. He dropped the folder and added, "And Cullen wants it wrapped up before it's started."

Dr. Temperance Brennan looked up him with her eyes narrowed, her lips pinched in a thin line. Her expression was slightly annoyed and Booth could read '_I don't know what that means_' on her face. "How many time do I have to tell you to knock?" she shot at him instead. Booth put his hands on his hips.

"I did," he said back to her, equally annoyed. Brennan darted her eyes away from his and then back. Booth followed where she had looked, and quickly dropped his hands. "Sorry, didn't know you had somebody in here." Sitting in one of Brennan's chairs was a woman with short brown hair and eyes almost as dark as the agent's. She was dressed in a conservative brown business suit.

"Agent Booth?" the mystery woman asked, unfolding her legs and standing up.

"Um, yes, and you are?"

"Shanelle Bryant," the woman answered, holding out her hand. Booth shook it, and looked over at Brennan for an explanation.

"Shanelle is an acquaintance from college," she told him. "She's the owner/editor of a new magazine called _Anthropology Now._" Booth opened his mouth to say something- most likely a teasing comment, but decided against it when Brennan gave him a warning look.

"Nice to meet you," he said in its place. Shanelle gave him a warm smile.

"A new case?" she asked. "How exciting."

"Shanelle is here to…_observe _me," Brennan said, earning her a raised eyebrow from Booth.

"Well, I'm afraid she's going to have to _observe_ you later," he said.

"And I'm afraid where Tempe goes," Shanelle started, "then so do I." Booth turned his back on the writer and looked Brennan in the eyes.

"You care to explain?"

"My fault," a deep voice said from the doorway. The trio turned their eyes toward Dr. Daniel Goodman. "I thought it would be good for the museum to showcase yours and Dr. Brennan's partnership." Booth looked from Goodman to Brennan and then back.

"You're joking, right?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not, Agent Booth." Booth ran a hand through his hair before he continued.

"No offense, Dr. Goodman, but I can't have a tag along," Booth complained. "Cullen isn't happy about Bones being in the field with me, what's he going to say about another non-agent?" Booth hoped that his argument was enough but knew when Goodman locked eyes with him that it wasn't.

"Dr. Bryant won't be in the field with you, per say, but close by. Observing how this most…_interesting_ and _unusual _partnership works."

"Unusual," Booth started. _Our partnership is unusual? _He then shook his head to clear it. When he begun again, it was with more argument. "But, Dr. Goodman, Cullen."

"No worries about Director Cullen," Goodman interrupted. "I'll call him and explain everything. I'm sure he'll fully understand and agree that this article will be nothing but good for both our organizations." Booth glared at the doctor and then turned to face Brennan.

"Get your overnight bag ready," he growled. "We're heading to South Carolina."

"South Carolina?" Shanelle questioned, before Brennan could say anything. Booth ignored her.

"A body was found in some woods," Booth went on, still addressing Brennan.

"You know I don't do bodies," Brennan told him.

"I think you'll fine this one…_interesting _and_ unusual_," Booth said, reaching over and tapping the folder. "You read and be ready to go first thing in the morning. Pick you…and _your_ friend up at 7." With that he turned to leave. "Dr. Goodman," he said curtly. Goodman stepped aside, letting Booth leave the office.

Angela sat at the same table she was leaning against when Booth had entered the lab. She looked up from her drawing as the agent left Brennan's office. A deeper scowl was plastered on his face, his hands curled into fists. His walk betrayed his annoyance in the present situation. When Brennan had told her earlier that day about Shanelle Bryant and the fact that Goodman wanted her to tag along on her and Booth's next case, the artist had told her friend that Booth wouldn't be happy. Brennan had agreed but said there was no way out of it. Angela sighed as she watched Booth leave. She turned her eyes back towards the office. Goodman stood in the doorway also watching the retreating back of the agent. He glanced in Angela's direction, gave a brief nod and then started to leave the lab as well. Angela didn't hear everything that was said, but knew Goodman had 'pulled rank' so to say. She also knew that whatever the case was about, having Shanelle along would just make it that much harder to solve. Angela let her eyes fall to the picture that she was working on. She lifted her hand away from the paper and took in what she had so far…a full body sketch of Brennan. The anthropologist had most of her weight on her right foot, her left one was slightly forward and turned a little outward. Brennan had her arms crossed over her chest in a stance of strength yet not of annoyance. No, Angela had begun to draw her friend in a completely natural and relaxed pose. A pose that the scientist struck quite often. Especially when a certain FBI agent was teasing her. It was never a stance of anger, but normally one of mock-frustration. The artist smiled at her progress. _This picture is gonna rock_, she thought. _Even if I do say so myself._

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_If you didn't figure it out, the first part is some of an article that is being written by '_Shanelle Bryant'. _Please review, and more will be coming next week!_

_TBC...and don't forget to review! Please._


	3. Myrmidons

**A/N: Rated 'T'. Not too gross or creepy. A thanks to Goldpiece for not allowingme to 'Drink and Write'. Teehee...**

**Oh, and remember, this first part is Shanella Bryant writing.**

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_I arrived at the apartment of Dr. Brennan at 6:15 the next morning. Her place was warm and done in welcoming colors, although I couldn't help but notice that it lacked some of the items of many other homes. Mainly, there were few pictures. After offering a hot cup of coffee to the doctor, I wandered around her living room. I noted that the photos that graced her bookshelf were of her co-workers. Dr. Brennan informed me that that was because her colleagues were her friends and, except for her brother, Russ, were the closest thing to family she had. Since we were on the subject of co-workers, I posed a question to her. Just what is her relationship with Agent Booth? Is it what she based Kathy and Ryan's relationship on? "I did not base my characters relationship on that of Booth and I," Dr. Brennan said. "We're co-workers and friends. We have been through a lot together and I trust him with my life. But that's as far as it goes."_

_Agent Booth showed up before I could ask any more questions on the subject, but I assure you, I will continue this._

_Within fifteen minutes of him arriving we were all loaded into his SUV and on our way to the airport. Agent Booth informed us that our flight left at 9:00, and then it would just a skip and a hop to Greenville. And so he was right. After finding a hotel and having a light lunch, we were on the scene by 2:30 PM. Unfortunately, I was ordered to remain in the car for my own safety and so that the scene wouldn't be comprised, so I cannot describe what occurred once Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth entered the woods heading toward the remains._

_-SB-_

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_Chapter Two_

_Myrmidons_

_Dr. Temperance Brennan's apartment, Washington DC_

"I'm coming," Dr. Temperance Brennan called out as she walked toward the door of her apartment. She glanced at the clock on the wall- 6:15. Too early to be Booth¸ she said to herself. Brennan quickly checked the peephole and then opened the door.

"I'm not too early, am I?" Shanelle asked holding up a Styrofoam cup filled with hot coffee.

"No, not at all, please come," Brennan said, accepting the cup and then stepping aside. Shanelle smiled and walked in. She dropped her bag on the floor and then looked around the living room. She came to a stop in front of the bookshelf and took in the pictures that were there, while Brennan went into the kitchen.

"Who's this?" Shanelle asked, pointing to a picture. Brennan walked up beside the writer, minus one cup of coffee, and smiled.

"That's my brother, Russ." Shanelle nodded and then looked at a few of the other photos.

"And these?" she asked, indicating a group of people.

"Those are my colleagues," Brennan said and then pointing to each one said their name. "My best friend, Angela Montenegro. You met her yesterday." Shanelle nodded. "And that's Jack Hodgins, our entomologist. And this is my assistant, Zack Addy. And of course, that one in Booth." Shanelle studied the picture. Angela stood next to Brennan, arm around her waist. Hodgins was next to Angela and slightly behind. Zack next to him. Booth stood on the opposite side of Brennan. One arm draped over her shoulders. Everybody had smiles plastered on their faces. Shanelle smiled also and looked at the other pictures.

"Why all the pictures of co-workers?"

"Besides Russ, they're my family," she said with a shrug.

"So," Shanelle began, turning to face the doctor. "Tell me, are your characters in your books based on you and Agent Booth?" Brennan felt her cheeks grow slightly warm, and then she walked away.

"Absolutely not," she denied, shaking her head. "We're co-workers and friends. We have been through a lot together and I trust him with my life. But that's as far as it goes." Shanelle opened her to say something but a knock on the door stopped her. Brennan let out a breath of relief and hurried to the door.

"Morning," Booth said with a smile and holding out a cup to Brennan. "Hot chocolate," he told her when she just looked at it.

"Thanks." Brennan took the cup and motioned for his to enter.

"Dr. Bryant," Booth said with a nod, before turning back to Brennan. "You ready to go? Our flight is at 9. We'll be in Greenville in no time."

"Just let me grab my bag."

_Just north of Greenville, South Carolina…2:34 PM_

Booth pulled the rented SUV to a stop, and then shut off the engine. He caught Shanelle's eyes in the rearview mirror. "You stay in the car."

"But Agent Booth," the writer began.

"No buts, stay in the car." He then nodded to Brennan and they both got out.

"Think she'll listen?" Brennan asked, when they meet at the front of the car.

"She better," Booth began, but quickly dropped the sentence when he noticed a man, about his own height, with graying hair and round glasses perched on his nose. Booth stepped forward and held out his hand. "Agent Ron Alsbrook?" The older man nodded and shook Booth's hand.

"You must be Agent Booth."

"Yes, and this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan." Agent Alsbrook shook her hand as well before he started to speak.

"I'm glad you two could come. Follow me and I'll show you to the body." They waited while Brennan grabbed her kit, before letting Alsbrook lead them into the woods.

"Who found the body?" Booth asked.

"A couple of hikers," the agent threw back over his shoulder. "Had the scare of their lives."

"I bet," Booth said, his eyes searching his surroundings. Alsbrook came to a stop and pointed to a large tree.

"Other side," he told Booth. "This is as far as I go." Booth raised an eyebrow in question. "Allergic to ants." Booth nodded and then began the trek up the hill toward the yellow police tape. He held it up, allowed Brennan to go underneath and then followed.

"I hate ants," he murmured while reaching up to scratch at his neck. Brennan shook her head with slight amusement as they neared the body, which was beginning to be incorporated into the ant mound. The pair stopped and stared. "That's just creepy," Booth said, breaking the silence. A human form could be made out- the head on the north end, the bound feet on the south. The police and the FBI agents decided to leave the body until the 'experts' showed up. Booth scanned the body and drew his brows together. "You think he was dead before being tossed in?"

"Let's hope so," Brennan said as she set her kit down and then knelt. "And it's a female, look at the legs." She pulled a pair of latex gloves out and made her way carefully to the body. "Think about it, Booth," she began as she moved slowly around the body and ants. "Think about being alive and tossed into a fire ant mound. They would be instantly on alert. Biting whatever flesh they could get too- arms, legs, face. Your skin would begin to feel on fire, the pain would become severe within moments. Look here," Brennan said, pointing at the head. Booth stepped slightly closer.

"She was gagged."

"Correct, which means no screams. The legs are tied, so are the arms, so no escaping." Booth shook his head.

"Whoever did this is one sadistic bastard." Brennan nodded her agreement and knelt beside the body, careful not to disturb the ants. "Maybe our murder is related to the Myrmidons," Booth said with a small smile.

"What do you know about Myrmidons?" Brennan questioned.

"Just because I'm not a squint doesn't mean I'm not ed-u-ma-cated." Brennan smirked up at him. "Seriously," Booth continued. "I had this obsession with Greek Mythology when I was little. Thought the ant-people of Aegina were just the coolest."

"Always full of surprises," Brennan told him and then turned her attention back to the body. "Can you bring my kit over here?" Booth did as she requested and then watched as she snapped a dozen or so pictures. She then swabbed the flesh, took some samples of the dirt, and captured a few of the stray ants. When she thought she had everything, Brennan stood.

"The local agents has some ant spray to kill the little beasts. Then the body can be pulled from the mound. Then it'll be shipped to the Jeffersonian."

"Good, we'll be able to get a lot more answers then," Brennan said as she snapped the gloves off. Booth waved in the other agents and then put a hand on the small on Brennan's back and lead her out of the woods.

"We have a few people to talk to, which we'll do tomorrow, and then our flight back is in the evening."

"I'll call Angela and leave instructions for Zack and Hodgins."

"Let's just hope this is a one time murder." Brennan looked over at Booth.

"What if it isn't?" Booth clentched his jaw.

"Let's hope it is."

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_Of course, we know that it isn't...because what kind of fic would that be. Thanks for reading and please Review._

_TBC..._


	4. No Comment

**A/N: Nothing bad in this chapter. I will tell you that Goldpiece (thanks for beta-ing), found one sceen in this fic flipping Hilarious...so I hope you do too.**

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_There are a few burning questions that this reporter wishes to know the answers to, such as, how do outsiders treat the pair? And how do their spouses or significant others feel about the partnership? Neither one was forth coming about the answers, so I began to dig a little deeper. I asked Dr. Brennan about an incident that involved Agent Booth interrogating a boyfriend of hers, to which she responded, as cool and calm as ever, "Agent Booth was just doing his job, and although I was somewhat mad at the time, looking back I realized that if he hadn't done it, if he hadn't done his job, then I really would have been mad." I decided to question Agent Booth about the topic. How does his girlfriend feel about his partnership with Dr. Brennan? After several moments of silence, he answered. "At present, I don't have a girlfriend." Interesting. I asked him if he has had a girlfriend since his partnership with Dr. Brennan began, and he told me 'yes'. I wanted to know if Dr. Brennan was the cause of the breakup. Agent Booth pinched his lips together before giving his short, official answer, "No comment." _

_- SB - _

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_Chapter Three_

_No Comment_

_Hotel, Greenville South Carolina, 6:45 AM_

Dr. Temperance Brennan stood outside of the hotel room of her partner, Agent Seeley Booth. It was still early and she didn't want to wake him up. They had stayed up late, going over what they had and answering a few questions of Shanelle Bryant. Brennan had been up for an hour, however, unable to sleep. She had showered, dressed, and then figured out that her small make-up bag was missing and Brennan knew it had to be in Booth's room. Normally she wouldn't have minded, but it also contained her _personal_ items. So she had gone down to the front desk, and after a few threats, was given the extra key card to Booth's room. Now, she stood in the slightly darkened hallway, trying to calm her nerves. Brennan slid the card, and slowly opened the door. The sun was beginning to stream in the large window giving her plenty of light. A quick look around the room, confirmed that Booth was still asleep. Brennan smiled and allowed herself to rake her eyes over his body. He lay on his back, the covers stopping at his waist, showing off his chiseled chest. Brennan shut the door behind her and picked her way through the room. She found his bag on the floor beside a chair and beside his bag was her small personal bag. Quickly, she picked it up and then turned back to the door. A noise from the bed caused Brennan to stop. Her heart slammed against her rib cage. She watched out the corner of her eyes as Booth turned in bed to his stomach, passed some gas, which caused Brennan to slap a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. When she was certain that he was still asleep, to finished her walk to the door and left. She let out a deep breath and then went down to return the key. Brennan was in the elevator, and almost back to her floor, when her cell phone chirped, indicating a text message. She pulled out the phone and flipped it open.

_You could've knocked _

_x Booth_

Brennan let out a groan and snapped the phone shut as the doors opened. She stepped out of the elevator and then stopped. Booth stood in his open doorway, leaning on the door jam, with his arms crossed over a bare chest, his hair ruffled, a charm smile plastered on his face. Brennan pushed her shoulders back and walked down the hall, passed Booth and stopped at her door. Without looking at him, she slid her key card, entered and the shut the door on the sound of Booth's low chuckle.

Twenty minutes later Booth was pounding on Brennan's door. "Is _she_ in here?" he whispered after Brennan opened the door.

"She? You mean Shanelle?" Booth nodded. "No, haven't seen her this morning."

"Good," Booth said striding in past her. Brennan shook her head in amusement and closed the door. "I wanted to talk to you without Ms.-Want-to-know-it-all around."

"She's just doing her job," Brennan said, when he turned to face her.

"I know this is supposed to be good for the Jeffersonian and all, but I swear, Bones, she's driving me crazy."

"Now, Booth,' Brennan began with a laugh. "All you've got to do is play nice and give her your charm smile. You'll do fine."

"My _charm_ smile?" he questioned causing Brennan to blush.

"That's what Angela calls it," she answered with a shrug. "Are we going to talk to the hikers first?" Booth smiled but let her off the hook. He pulled his notebook out and flipped it up.

"Yeah, a Nola Shearman and her boyfriend, Rick Walton," Booth informed his partner. "I've arranged with Agent Alsbrook to meet with them both at Shearman's house."

"Think they have anything to do with the murder?" Brennan asked.

"Not really enough information to form an official opinion. But at first glance, I would have to say no. The first interviewers noted that they were scared, nervous and visibly shaken. Unless they are really good actors, I don't think they have anything to do with it." He put the notebook back in his pocket. "So, you ready to check out, grab some breakfast and head on to the Shearman's?"

"Just let me get my bags," Brennan tossed over her shoulder already heading to where they sat on her bed.

"So how _did_ you get a key card to my room?" Booth asked. He saw her back go rigid and he laughed. "Come on, Bones," he said. "Let's go wake up Dr. Bryant and get this show on the road.

Thirty minutes later they were all piled in the rented SUV. Booth had his eyes forward and he kept readjusting his grip on the steering wheel. "It's just an innocent question, Agent Booth," Shanelle said from the backseat. Brennan watched her partner out the corners of her eyes. His jaw was set and his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Shanelle," Brennan finally said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Quite a lot, Tempe," the writer said. "I know that you aren't seeing anybody, and I was just asking Agent Booth if he was in a relationship. And if he wasn't, was it because of you?"

"My official answer is no comment," Booth finally said.

"Come now, Agent Booth, don't be so closed mouth about it," Shanelle said. "Although, your unwillingness to answer makes me wonder." Booth's eyes shot to the rear view mirror. The writer stared back at him.

"My official answer is no comment," he said again, returning his eyes to the road. "But I'll answer your personal inquiry." Shanelle shifted in the back seat. "My partnership with Bones is part of the reason my last relationship didn't work out."

"I didn't know that," Brennan said, slightly shocked.

"The other part of the reason is that when she and I started dating, my position was exciting. I was a trophy for her to flaunt to her friends. It didn't take long for reality to settle in. Being an FBI agent is a 24/7 job. I'm always on call, and if a case comes in, then I have to go. If Bones had new evidence, she called- I went. I'm at her disposal at any and every hour of the day, and visa-versa. Me, Bones and her squint squad are a weird sorta family. In a way, you get one, you get all of us." Booth chanced a quick glance over at Brennan, who sat watching him. His eyes then flicked to the mirror and Shanelle. "Most people can't handle that. But what we do is too important to let the lack of non-work related relationships get in our way. Like I said, we are each other's family. Me, Bones, Angela, Hodgins and Boy Wonder."

"Zack," Brennan corrected.

"Thinking too much about that," he continued, "could cause us not to do our job right. A victim goes unidentified. A murderer goes free." Again he caught Shanelle's eyes in the mirror. "Did you get your answer?" The writer licked her lips and nodded.

"No comment." Silence filled the cabin of the SUV for fifteen minutes before Shanelle spoke again. "How about outsiders? How do they treat you?" Booth smiled over at Brennan who felt her cheeks begin to flush.

"They tend to…misinterpret us," Brennan said, softly.

"She means that most people think I'm her boyfriend," Booth teased.

"I don't know why," Brennan quickly threw in. "It's not let we act like that or anything. Some people see what they want to see."

"So how does that make you feel, Tempe?" Shanelle asked.

"Frustrated," she answered. "That people can misread two people so badly. What?" she asked, when Booth began to laugh. "They _do_." She pushed herself back in her seat and crossed her arms- Booth still laughing.

Booth pulled to a stop in front of a modest sized house of brick with green shutters. A small porch graced the front, and two rocking chairs sat empty and still in the heat of the Southern summer. Booth, Brennan, and Shanelle all got out of the car. As they did, a uniformed officer approached.

"Agent Booth?" the young man asked. When Booth nodded, he went on. "I'm officer Dennis Jones. Agent Alsbrook said you requested an officer present."

"Yes, I would like you to keep an eye on Dr. Bryant here," Booth said, indicating one of the two ladies. "Make sure she doesn't go away or talk to anybody."

"But Agent Booth," Shanelle began, taking a step toward him.

"Sorry, Dr. Bryant, but I can't allow you to come in and I don't trust you to stay put." Shanelle narrowed her eyes at him.

"You forget Bones is my partner," he said with a laugh. "That look doesn't bother me." With that he walked around the SUV, joined Brennan and began up the front walkway.

"That wasn't very nice," Brennan whispered as they approached the door.

"Yeah, I know," he answered with a smile, and then reached up and rang the doorbell. After only a minute the door opened to reveal a short woman with dirty blonde hair and glasses. She was dressed in shorts and a tank top, and her feet were bare. In her arms was a small black dog- _a Chihuahua,_ Booth thought.

"Nola Shearman?" Booth asked.

"That's right," the young woman answered, trying to keep the dog quiet.

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth," he introduced. "And this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. May we come in?"

"Please," Nola said, stepping to the side, allowing them access. Booth and Brennan were greeted with a welcoming blast of cold air. "Have a seat. Rick should be right back," the woman said. "He just ran to the store to get some soda."

"That's fine," Booth said, taking a seat on the couch, Brennan beside him. "If you don't mind, we'll just ask you a few questions before he gets back." Nola nodded and sat down across from the partners in a glider. The dog in her lap began to bark again.

"Sugar, shush," she said, but the dog wiggled loose and jumped to the ground.

"Can you tell us about finding the body?" Booth asked, one eye on Nola, the other on the ankle biter that was sniffing his foot.

"It was terrible," the young woman said with a shiver. "Rick and I had been planning that hiking trip for weeks. It was a perfect day and we were having so much fun." While the girl talked Booth reached down and held a hand out to the dog. After a second of unsure sniffing, Sugar allowed Booth to pat her. "We had just decided to head to the truck when we saw…this huge ant mound. That's not really unusual for these parts, but something about this one…Rick said it looked like a person. I thought he was just trying to freak me out. I hate ants. But we went over to take a better look and…and found," Nola stopped and took a deep breath. "Found a body." Booth nodded and Brennan tried to hold in a laugh when Sugar took Booth's petting as an invitation to get in his lap. She quickly turned in a circle and then made herself comfortable.

"You can put her down, Agent Booth," Nola said as the front door opened.

"Sorry," the man who walked in said, putting his bag on the floor and walking over to Nola. "There was a line." Then he turned his attention to the pair on the couch. "Rick Walton."

"Special Agent Seeley Booth and my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan," Booth said. "Hope you don't mind if I don't get up." Rick took in the sleeping dog and shook his head.

"Not at all. I don't know how you did that, Agent Booth. Sugar normally doesn't take to strangers." Booth grinned and patted the dog's head.

"Mr. Walton, could you tell us what happened the day you discovered the body?" Brennan asked.

"Of course. Nola and I were out for a hike. We were just heading in when we saw this odd-looking ant mound. I said it looked like a human form, but Nola didn't believe me. We made our way to it anyhow, and sure enough, there was a body in it."

"Did either of you notice anything different about the woods that day?"

"No," Rick said. "Except for the body, everything was…normal."

"Thank you," Booth said, picking the dog up and putting it on the floor. He stood as well as Brennan. "If you two think of anything else, please call." He handed Rick a business card and then escorted Brennan from the house.

"Not much to go on," Brennan commented as they began their way back to the SUV.

"Yeah, but we'll have to work with it."

* * *

_TBC..._

_This chapter is In Memory Of Sugar. Who was the sister of my oldest chihuahua, Kujo. _


	5. An UnPleasant Day to Die

**A/N: I'm gonna rate this chapter 'T'. It's short, but a longer chapter to come soon.**

* * *

_Somewhere northwest of Gadsden, Alabama_

The sun finally burned through the thick gray clouds that hung low in the sky. Scattered rays of light filtered down between the limbs of trees. The air was not only hot, but enough humidity filled it to leave your skin feeling wet and sticky. Mountains loomed in the distance. A man in a red baseball cap moved through the forest. In front of him, a young woman stumbled and fell to the ground. "Get up," the man growled, reaching down and yanking the woman up by the back of her shirt. Pleasant Devereux let out a cry of pain that was cut off by her gag. Once back on her feet, she felt blood begin to slide down her right arm. The man pushed her forward. "Walk." He knew the young woman was scared. _Just like my Alona_, he thought. He felt his eyes begin to burn, and he roughly wiped the back of his left hand over them. The man knew he had to still calm.

Pleasant knew she was going to die. Knew that this man was going to steal away from her, her very life. She would never see her family again. Never see her nieces or nephews. Never see Michael again. _Oh God, Michael. I love you,_ she thought. _Please know that._ She felt the man jab the tip of a pistol in her back to urge her on. Her heart slammed against her ribs, and sweat beaded along her hairline. _The Lord is my Shepard,_ she began to pray.

The man in the baseball cap took a moment to take in the forest around him. It was secluded he liked that. His mind drifted back to the other girl. _Sweet Dahlia,_ he thought. _I hope she told Alona hello_. He pushed the girl in front of him to make her walk faster.

Pleasant stumbled again but kept her balance. Finally the man touched her arm. "Stop here," he said. Tears filled her eyes, and her breath came in shot bursts. "Sit down." Pleasant stared at him. "Sit." He pushed her shoulders sending her backwards onto her butt. She let a yelp that didn't make its escape. The man swatted in front of her and pulled the roll duct tape from his wrist. With one hand he fumbled with the tape, but finally got it started and began to wrap it around her ankles. Pleasant kicked out and caught the man in the left shoulder baking him lose his balance. She took the opportunity to try to escape. She dug her feet into the ground and sent herself backward on the ground. The man regained himself, and launched after her, grabbing her right foot. "Why you little bitch," he growled. Pleasant cried out as his hand came down across her face. Pleasant laid on the ground, trying to shake the pain from her head. She was aware of the man wrapping the tape around her calves, her thighs. The man grabbed the woman by the front of the shirt and yanked her up into a sitting position. He reached up and pulled the gag out. "Anything to say?"

"May God have mercy on your soul," she said.

"I need more than mercy," the man said and then smiled at her as he put the gag back in place. He stood and placed the pistol in the waist of his pants and then reached down and picked Pleasant up. She struggled against the man, but he just tightened his grip. With long strides, he walked them to the edge of a large ant mound. He kicked at the mound, sending the ants into high alert. When the dirt was covered with red specks of fire, he gently kissed Pleasant's cheek and then tossed her to the ants. He watched as she began to fight against the bites but couldn't push herself away. After another moment, the man turned away from the scene. He began to walk away humming. 'It's A Small World' filled the quietness of the woods around him.

* * *

_Overview of the case _

_What do we know:_

Dahlia Lundy_, killedby ants north of Greenville, South Carolina. Don't know anymore as of now._

Pleasant Devereux_, killed by ants northwest of_ Gadsden, _Alabama. No further information._

_Murder wears a red baseball cap and enjoys humming 'It's A Small World'. Talks about someone called 'Alona'._

* * *

_Thanks for reading. Promise, a longer chapter is coming. So have your notepads out._


	6. Weird Sorta Family

**A/N: Thanks to everybody who has reviewed. I'm glad that so many people liked the 'case overview' last chapter. I will have more of those in the chapters to come. This chapter is long. I mean really long. I had a lot I wanted to get done. So pay attention. We interview people, and find out a few new facts. Also, look for my personal favorite scene...over dinner (that's lunch down South).**

**Speical shout out to Goldpiece for beta-ing this chapter. And to azarathangel, for already trying to figure out the case. You go Girl! **

* * *

_I have worked with many people over my career - other anthropologists, numerous scientists, FBI agents and local police. However, never have I had a relationship like that of Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth. Both intelligent individuals, both top of their fields, both willing to stand their ground, and as always with two such people, 'disagreements' arise. I had the honor, and pleasure if you will, of one of these famous discussions. One thing that doesn't change, no matter how close the partnership, is the fact that a scientist solves a problem one way and a FBI agent goes about it another. The relationship between these two can be explosive. A constant banter is thrown between them, keeping both on their toes. During the most intense arguments or 'conversations', Dr. Brennan begins to rattle off scientific 'mumbo jumbo',( Agent Booth's words), and Booth talks about 'gut feelings'. However, these disagreements never last long. For all their differences, these two are determined to make their partnership work. When they both realize that they were at a stalemate, Agent Booth would run a hand through his hair, Dr. Brennan would cross her arms and let out a frustrated sigh. After a few minutes of silence, Agent Booth would offer a peace treaty, words of compromise and a wide smile, and Dr. Brennan would roll her eyes at him, try to hide a smirk and then they would continue on with their thoughts. Amazing._

_-SB-_

_Chapter Four_

_Weird Sorta Family_

_Jeffersonian, Washington DC, USA, 9:18 AM_

"What can you tell me, Bones?" Booth asked, scanning his card and taking the steps to the platform two at a time. Brennan never took her eyes off of the remains in front of her- a 2000-year-old woman clenching a small baby, equally preserved.

"I can tell you all kinds of things," the anthropologist said, finally looking up at the special agent through her lashes. "For instance, _you_ seem to believe that I don't really have a job away from solving _your_ cases." Booth raised his eyebrows at her. "And you have a rather large ego. And you…"

"About Ant Woman," Booth clarified. Brennan looked up fully at him.

"I can even tell you something about her as well." Angela snorted from the far side of the platform, and then quickly ducked her head when both agent and doctor glared at her. Brennan pulled her latex gloves off with a snap, tossed them away and then walked down the steps. Booth followed her movements and then looked over at Angela, who was pretending not to notice.

"What's with her?" The artist gave him a one-shoulder shrug.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Booth shook his head and then quickly followed his partner.

"Bones," he called out. "Hey, Bones, wait up." He reached out and gave her arm. "Bones."

"You better be happy I didn't lay you out on the floor," Brennan snapped turning to face him.

"Sorry," Booth apologized, removing his hand. "Kinda early in the morning to be pissed at me, isn't it?" he said with a smile. Brennan looked up at him with narrowed eyes, then grabbed his arm and pulled him into her office. "I have a fantasy that goes a little something like this," Booth teased, when Brennan closed the door. She glared at him.

"No time for jokes, Booth."

"Care to tell me what's wrong?" Booth asked, deciding not to inform his partner that he wasn't entirely joking.

"_Her_," she answered.

"And by her, I'm guessing you mean Dr. Shanelle Bryant?" Brennan let out a heavy breath, walked passed Booth and sat down in her chair.

"Yes. She's driving me crazy."

"Wasn't it you that told me to _play nice_," Booth said, taking a seat opposite her.

"But Booth, last night, oy," she groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "She always did know how to press my buttons."

"Push, Bones. Push my buttons."

"Whatever. You didn't have to go to dinner with her…by yourself."

"That bad?" Brennan looked up at him. "I see. Well, what did she ask?" Brennan leaned back in her chair, arms wrapped around her stomach. Booth felt sorry for her.

"For starters, she got back on this whole you and I thing."

"What about us?" Booth watched her mouth twitch.

"Our _non-working_ relationship. Again."

"We're friends."

"That's what I said," Brennan agreed, standing up. "I told her Booth and I are friends. Out side of work, we go for drinks, or out to dinner. Same I do with Angela."

"I'm guessing from your sunshiny disposition this morning, she didn't exactly believe you."

"Of course she didn't." Brennan slammed her hands on her desk. "She responded with 'are you saying that there's _nothing_ going on between you two?' Can you believe it?" Booth smiled at her.

"Calm down, Bones," he tried to smooth.

"Don't tell me to calm down." Brennan stalked around the desk.

"Temperance," Booth said, standing up. Brennan stopped her movement, and faced her partner. "This will be over before you know it. And as far as her questions, like you said, just play nice."

"How can I play nice, Booth?" Before Booth could answer, a knock came to the closed office door. "Come in," Brennan called, as she stepped away from Booth.

"Dr. Brennan," Zack said, opening the door. "I have the results you asked for." Zack entered the office, handed Brennan a sheet of paper and then left.

"Well?" Booth asked. Brennan scanned the report.

"Dental records for our Jane Doe," Brennan said.

"So who is Ant Woman?"

"Dahlia Lundy." Booth nodded, and took the offered paper.

"Good," he said, standing. "I'll see what I can find out about her. Call me if you get anything else." Booth stopped at the door and turned back. "Play nice, Temperance." Brennan nodded and watched him leave.

_Jeffersonian, Washington DC, USA, 3:56 PM_

"Dahlia Lundy," Booth said, striding into the lab. Brennan stood near Hodgins, but looked up at the sound of Booth's voice. "Age 20. Sophomore at Clemson University." Booth came to a stop in front of his partner.

"And she was alive when she was tossed to the ants," Brennan took over giving the details. "And she had an allergic reaction. She would have died within five minutes."

"So where does that leave us?" Shanelle asked coming up from the side. Booth and Brennan both looked over at her and then back at each other.

"Heading back to South Carolina," Booth said.

"Back?" Brennan asked. "Why?"

"Dahlia has a best friend, Melissa Beth Ginn. Not to mention her family is in South Carolina. We have a lot more people to talk to."

"I don't see why I have to go," Brennan said. "I have work to do here, bodies that need to be identified. You don't need me."

"I thought this was a 50-50 partnership?" Shanelle asked.

"Hate to agree with Dr. Bryant," Booth said, with a smile. "But we are partners." Brennan crossed her arms.

"Partners, yes, but Booth, I do have work to do. You don't need me there."

"Come on, Bones. You're not going to send me back down there by myself are you?"

"Yes," Brennan said, walking away from Booth.

"But Bones, I need you to…_interrupt_," he said following. "You know I don't do well with scientific stuff."

"Oh, come off it, Booth. Anthropologically speaking, you're just trying to extend your alpha male dominance over me."

"Oh, don't start up with your scientific mumbo jumbo," Booth told her.

"It is not _mumbo jumbo_," Brennan said. "And I'm not going."

"Yes, you are. Call it a gut feeling, but I'm going to need you."

"I don't believe in gut feelings, you know that."

"Why are you arguing with me?"

"I'm not arguing," Brennan said, crossing her arms and letting out a frustrated sigh. "You're arguing." Booth raked a hand through his hair. This wasn't going anywhere.

"Fine, how about this, Bones. You come to South Carolina with me now, and I won't bother you, unless there's a development, for a week." Brennan rolled her hers, and Booth offered her a wide smile.

"And a month of Wong Foo's?" Booth's smile grew wider.

"Deal."

"Okay, but before we go," Brennan said. "We need to go over what we have." Brennan and Booth moved away from Shanelle.

"Do they do that often?" she asked Angela, who had come to stand beside the writer.

"Argue? Oh, yeah. All the time, but they always work through it. That's why they work."

_Greenville, South Carolina_

"I still can't believe you talked me into coming back," Brennan complained as Booth pulled to a stop in front of a large, white two-story house. _Lundy_ was painted on the mailbox.

"Oh, stop your complaining."

"I am not complaining," Brennan shot at him. "It's just that I have work to do and not to mention it's hot." Booth rolled his eyes.

"How many places have you been that's hotter then this Southern heat?" Booth asked, opening the door and stepping out.

"But that was by choice," Brennan called, before opening her own door. Booth joined her and smiled.

"Oh, come on, Bones," he said. "It's not too bad. And at least Dr. Bryant agreed to stay at the hotel." Brennan offered him a small smirk, then led him up the front walk and onto the steps of the front porch. Booth gave a sharp rap on the door jam and peeked into the house through the screen door. He watched as an older woman walked toward them. She was wearing a yellow summer dress and her hair was pulled up in a bun.

"May I help you?" she called as she drew close.

"Yes, ma'am, are you Julie Lundy?"

"Yes."

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan." The woman stopped in front of the door and released the lock.

"Agent Alsbrook said you would be coming by," the woman said, pushing the door open. "Please come in." Booth caught the door, and ushered Brennan in before him. "I hope you don't mind talking in the kitchen," Mrs. Lundy said, leading the pair through the living room. "The kids will be home for lunch soon."

"Not at all, Mrs. Lundy," Booth said. "We're very sorry for your loss." The kitchen was warm and welcoming.

"Thank you," she said. "Please, have a seat." Mrs. Lundy gestured to the kitchen table. "Can I get either of you something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Booth answered as he and Brennan pulled out chairs and sat down. Mrs. Lundy moved around the center island and took back up her mixing. "Mrs. Lundy, we are sorry to have to ask you these questions."

"Nonsense," the older woman said. "If it helps catch the sick bastard that killed my sweet Dahlia, then ask me anything."

"Did Dahlia have any enemies?"

"Heavens no," Mrs. Lundy answered as she cracked an egg into the mixing bowl. "Everybody loved my daughter. She was the sweetest girl you'd ever want to meet. Always willing to help anybody. Volunteered at the animal shelter since she was 10. Organized present drives at Christmas time." Mrs. Lundy cracked another egg. "I can't think of anybody who would have a bad thing to say about her."

"How about at college?" Brennan asked.

"I admit, I don't know a lot that went on at school, but she never said anything. I'm confident if something was wrong, she would say. But her best friend, Melissa Ginn, might be able to help you with that better than I."

"Did she ever have any trouble with someone while on vacation?" Booth asked.

"No, not that I'm aware of," Mrs. Lundy answered.

"Thank you for your time," Booth said, standing. He pulled a card from his inside pocket and placed it on the island beside the mixing bowl. "If you think of anything, please call. Anytime." He offered a smile that Mrs. Lundy returned.

"I'll do that, Agent Booth," she said. "Thank you for all you and Dr. Brennan are doing."

"It's what we do," Booth said. "We'll show ourselves out."

"Thank you."

_:BONES:_

Booth glanced across the small table at Brennan, who was staring at something out the window. "Something on your mind, Bones?"

"Huh?" she asked whipping her head around to look at him.

"I asked what was on your mind." Brennan dropped her hands to her lap and her eyes to the table.

"Just some things that Shanelle said."

"What did the good doctor say this time?" Booth watched as she pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth.

"Doesn't really matter," she finally answered as the waitress came up with their lunch. Booth waited for the young woman to move away before he spoke again.

"Are you sure?" Booth asked, concern darkening in his eyes. Brennan offered him a small smile.

"I'm sure." Booth watched her for a moment before picking up his fork and knife and cutting into his steak. "So, we're going to go talk to Melissa Ginn next?" Booth nodded.

"Yeah, maybe she can tell us something that can be viewed as a lead." Brennan took another bite of her chicken sandwich.

"Booth," she began, not looking into his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I got you dragged into this whole interview thing."

"Oh, it's okay, Bones, not really your fault, anyhow." Brennan picked her eyes up to look at him and was greeted by his trademark smile.

"I tried to talk Shanelle out of it," she went on.

"I know, but once Goodman gets an idea it's hard to shake him from it. I know that."

"Still, I feel responsible, and she's asking some hard questions."

"Hey, listen, I said it was okay, didn't I? We have to stay strong. Not show her a divided front."

"So did you mean it? What you said about us being a family?" Booth finished off his last bite of meat.

"Of course I did," he answered. "See, Goodman is like the grandfather."

"I'll bite, how so?"

"Well, he's always talking about the 'olden days'. That and he keeps the rest of us in line. Angela is like the annoying sister that you can't shut up and you can't get rid of."

"I'll make sure I tell her you said that," Brennan laughed.

"You do, and you're dead." He jabbed his finger in her direction. "Hodgins and Kid Genius are like two children. Always bickering back and forth and always needing adult supervision." Brennan thought about what Booth said before asking.

"And what about you and I?"

"That's easy," he said. "We're like the parents. Keeping everybody else from killing each other. And Angela is _your_ sister, not mine." Brennan smiled at him.

"That's fine," she said. "But the _kids_ act _just_like their father."

"Hey," Booth said but he was laughing the same as Brennan.

_:BONES:_

Booth knocked on the door of a small house with whitewash clapboard siding. The door and shutters were all a bluish-gray color, and the overhangs were starting to peel. He glanced over at his partner as they waited for someone to come and let them in. With three cars in the driveway, they were assuming somebody was home. Finally, the lock clicked and the door open. A young boy, about twelve, stood inside the screen door. "Yeah," he said.

"Hey there," Booth said. "We're looking for Melissa Ginn. Is she home?" The boy eyed Booth carefully, and then Brennan.

"Who wants to know?" Booth pulled his badge out and showed it to the kid.

"The FBI." At those words the boy's eyes lit up.

"Kewl," he said. "Like the real FBI? What kind of crimes do you solve? Is she FBI too? How do you become an agent? Is it hard work?" Booth smiled at him.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Jordan," the boy answered. "Jordan Ginn."

"Nice to meet you, Jordan. And yes, I'm the real FBI. I solve crimes that are hard to solve by normal methods. No, she's not FBI, but is my partner, it is hard work, and how about I send you some information about how to become one." Jordan gave Booth a wide smile and excitement shone in his eyes. "Now, is Melissa home?" The boy nodded.

"Hey, Melissa," he called over his shoulder. "It's the FBI!" Jordan looked back at Booth and was rewarded with an appreciative nod.

"Mama told you not to yell," a young woman scolded as she bounded down the steps.

"Melissa Ginn?" Booth asked.

"Yes." Melissa stepped up beside her brother. She wasn't very tall, maybe 5'7", with dark brown hair, cut to her shoulders.

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth," he said, showing his badge again. "And this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"The author?" Jordan asked.

"Shut up, Jord," Melissa snapped. "Please come in." Booth opened the screen door, motioned for Brennan to enter, and then followed. Melissa led them through the small hallway and into a roomy living room. "Jordan, go get mom." Jordan made to say something, but a stern look from Booth shut his mouth, then turned and walked out the sliding glass doors.

"Melissa, we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about Dahlia?"

"Of course, please, have a seat." As they all found a place to sit, the glass doors opened, and an older lady came in. Booth stood as she entered.

"I'm Melissa's mother, Faye."

"Special Agent Seeley Booth, ma'am," he said, shaking her hand. "And this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan." The two women shook hands. "We just wanted to ask Melissa a few questions."

"Please, we all want to do whatever we can to help solve Dahlia's death."

"What can you tell us about Dahlia?" Booth asked. "What was she like?"

"The best," Melissa said softly. "I mean, everybody loved Dahlia. Everybody. She was sweet, and beautiful and kind. Never a mean word to say about anyone. She was always helping people. Always giving money or time." Melissa reached up and wiped a tear from her eyes and Faye placed her arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"It's okay, sweetheart," the mother smoothed. Booth waited for Melissa to take a shuddering breath, and lifted her eyes.

"Can you think of anybody who might who have wanted to hurt Dahlia?" The girl shook her head.

"No one. Like I said, everybody loved her. I wish I could tell you of some freak who threatened her, but there isn't one." Booth glanced over at Brennan and then back to Melissa.

"Okay, thank you, Melissa, Mrs. Ginn." The pair stood and Booth handed Melissa a card. "If either of you think of anything, please don't hesitate to call me." The girl took the card and nodded. "We'll see ourselves out." With a hand placed on Brennan's lower back, they left the house.

"Agent Booth," Jordan called when the pair was at their black SUV. They turned back as the boy ran up to they.

"Yes, Jordan."

"I, um, don't know if this will help, but, um," Jordan clasped his hands behind his back and toyed with the ground with his toe.

"What is it, son?" Booth asked.

"Well, the last time we went to Clemson to visit Melissa, um, her and Dahlia shared a dorm room. Anyhow, I was out skateboarding in the parking lot when I saw this man. I didn't think much of it, but…now with Dahlia…dead…I thought."

"This man made you feel uncomfortable?" Jordan nodded.

"Yes, sir. He just seemed out of place, you know. Like he didn't belong."

"Do you remember what he looks like?"

"No, sir. But I do remember he had this red baseball cap. Kinda out of place in Tiger Country. Everything there is painted orange and purple." Booth smiled down at the boy, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good job, Jordan." The boy grinned eye to eye. "Thank you very much for telling us." Jordan nodded and then turned and ran off.

"Lead?" Brennan asked, as Booth opened her door.

"Lead."

* * *

_Yeah! This case is starting to move. Hope you're taking notes. Any guesses as to where our duo is heading next? _

_TBC..._


	7. On The Road Again

**A/N: Another long chapter. Hope you like. And look for something...a little..._different _at the end.**

_-----------------------------------------------------------_

_The case that I'm tagging along on is really heating up. Although I'm not allowed to go into crime scenes or be there during interviews, Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth keep me as updated as I can be. And during the long hours on the road, I have been able to ask a lot of good questions, and I can tell you honestly, their constant banter has become a source of entertainment for me. I got the opportunity to ask Dr. Brennan about a nickname that Agent Booth calls her. My, I wasn't expecting such a 'Do too/Do not' argument, but it was solved, like all the rest, a quick glance at each other, some unspoken agreement, and then on to something else. And although this next statement will get me into trouble with Dr. Brennan, I must admit I agree with Agent Booth. I can see how the mistake is made. Yes, dear readers, that's all I'm going to say on the subject._

_- SB -_

Chapter Six-

On the Road Again 

_Dorms at Clemson University, Anderson South Carolina_

Booth made his way through the halls of an all female dorm. Doors stood wide open, and young girls went in and out. Moving boxes, catching up with friends and, Brennan noticed, watching the special agent walk by. Brennan rolled her eyes as a tall girl with long blonde hair batted her lashes at him. Booth offered a few smiles here and there, but never slowed his pace. As he neared the end of the hall, he stopped and turned back to face the lines of girls watching him. He offered they all a wide charm smile. "Hello ladies," he called out, and the girls all became quiet. "Thank you. My name is Special Agent Booth, and this is my partner Dr. Brennan." A murmur went along the hall, but the fell quiet again when he raised his hand. "We just have a few questions to ask you, especially those of you that were here last year."

"What is you want to know, Hunky?" the tall blonde called out.

"Does anybody remember a man hanging around the dorms or campus?"

"You have to be more specific," the blonde said, walking up the hall. "A man like you, Sexy?" Catcalls went up and down the hall.

"What's your name?" Booth asked.

"Jamie," she answered. "Jamie Bennett." She smiled, as she reached out and traced a hand down his tie. "Why don't you and I talk more about this in private?" Jamie's eyes darted to Brennan, who stood with her arms crossed, and then back to Booth. "Just _you_ and me?"

"Well, Ms. Bennett," Booth said, taking her by the waist and removing the hand. "It's _Agent_ Booth. And _Dr_. Brennan is more than my partner, she's my bodyguard." Brennan quickly scanned her surrounding and noticed a young woman standing not far away to her right, holding a soda can. With lighting speed, a well-placed full round house kick sent the can high in the air and it landed halfway down the hall. Brennan fell back to her previous position- arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "It might be a wise idea to take a few steps back. She gets a little twitchy when people get too close." Jamie did as she was told, suddenly clasping her hands behind her back. Booth stole a glance at Brennan, who looked awfully smug, and then began to talk again. "As I was saying. A man that maybe didn't belong? Or that made you feel creepy?"

"Other than half the boys here?" someone called from the back. Booth offered a small smile.

"Other than that. Somebody you just knew didn't belong?"

"I saw somebody like that," a short girl with brown hair said, stepping forward.

"What's your name, miss?"

"Becky Ford, sir." Becky looked around slightly nervous.

"And what did you see, Becky?"

"Well, sir, at one of the last games last year, football game, that is. I was sitting in the student section of Death Valley, and there was this guy…wearing a red baseball cap. Odd, since everybody was dressed in orange and purple."

"I remember him," somebody else said, coming to stand near Becky. "Sarah Hernley. I wasn't sitting too far away from Becky that game. Dahlia Lundy and I went together. That guy kept looking over at us during the game. I remember that he had the whitest teeth ever. Anyhow, when we got up to go to the restroom, I swear he followed us."

"And what happened?" Booth asked.

"Nothing. We stayed in the restrooms for twenty minutes, just to be careful, and when we came out he was gone. And he never showed back up at his seat."

"Dahlia Lundy is dead," a voice called from the back. All the girls turned their heads to try and find the owner of the voice, but quickly snapped them back to Booth.

"Is that true?" Sarah asked. Booth pinched his lips together and then nodded.

"I'm afraid it is, we're very sorry to have to tell you that."

"How did she die?" Becky asked.

"We're not allowed to discuss that at this time. The investigation is still underway." Booth looked around the hall and then to Brennan. "If any of you remember anything, anything that might be useful, no matter how small, please call me." He pulled two cards from his pocket and handed one to Becky and the other to Sarah. Then he reached out, placed a hand on the small of Brennan's back and led her from the girls.

"Nice moves back there," Booth said, as he held open the doors leading out of the dorm and Brennan moved past him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered, never looking over at him.

"That kung-fu foot work back there. Sending the can down the hall. Really got the girls attention."

"You're the one that said I was your bodyguard," she accused, turning and poking him in his chest.

"Hey," he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I didn't say it was a bad thing. Kinda thought it was sexy myself." Brennan rolled her eyes, which caused Booth to laugh. His phone went off, and he was still chuckling as he pulled it out. "Booth." Brennan turned from him and continued to the SUV. She leant against it and took in Booth's side of the conversation. Shanelle folded her arms over the window jam and stuck her head out from the back seat.

"How did it go?" the reporter asked. Brennan shrugged.

"Got a little more information," she said, as she watch Booth began to pace. "That's never a good sign." Shanelle glanced at Brennan and then at Booth, just in time to see him run a hand through his hair. The agent pulled the phone away from his ear and snapped it shut.

"Hope neither one of you had hot dates tonight," he said, walking up to the two women.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"They found another body."

"Oh, no," Shanelle said. "Where?"

"Alabama." Booth glanced at his watch. "It's about a five hour drive. Should be there before it gets dark. Come on."

_On a road, somewhere northwest of Gadsden, Alabama_

"I do not, Booth," Brennan argued, her arms crossed over her chest. Booth glanced over at his partner and couldn't hide his smile when he saw her pouting lips.

"You so do too."

"I do not." Shanelle watched the exchange from the back seat of the SUV with amusement. Booth chuckled and turned his attention back to the road.

"Do too." Brennan gave an aggravated sigh.

"Give me one example, Booth," she said, holding up one finger. "One." Booth rubbed his right hand over his chin, and straightened his left, pushing against the steering wheel to crack his back.

"Only one, eh?" Booth teased. "Okay, how about that time when we were at Wong Foo's?" Brennan glared over at him.

"I don't remember anytime at Wong Foo's, or anywhere else, where I acted like you and I were a…a…_couple_." She spat out the last word causing Booth to frown.

"Geez, Bones, the idea isn't that bad, is it?" Brennan sucked her teeth, and turned away from him. Shanelle smiled at the pair and slowly shook her head.

"When are we going to be at the site?" Brennan asked, never pulling her eyes from the scenery outside her window. Booth glanced at the clock on the radio and then back to the road.

"Another 20 minutes."

"Not a moment to soon," Brennan mumbled.

"So, tell me," Shanelle started, seeing the perfect time for a few more questions. "Are there times when you two _can't _agree on something?"

"All the time," they answered at the same time and then looked over at each other.

"And what do you do when that happens?"

"Fight," Booth said.

"And threaten," Brennan threw in.

"And then what?"

"Normally find some way to work it out," Brennan told the reporter.

"Even when you two are at the point where you absolutely disagree with each other?" Shanelle watched the pair as they both thought.

"We don't get there often," Booth ventured. "I respect Bones' opinion. It might be different from my own, but we look at things differently."

"Yeah," Brennan picked up. "If we have two different thoughts about the subject, normally we're both right in our own way. We just have to figure out how it fits together." Booth nodded his agreement.

"I see, so who gets their way more often?"

"Oh, Bones, hands down," Booth said.

"I do not."

"Do too."

"I do not." Shanelle rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay, a different questioned. Tempe, do you like the pet name Agent Booth calls you?"

"Bones?" Brennan questioned. "I hate it."

"You do not," Booth said.

"I think I know if I hate something or not," Brennan snapped. "And I hate it."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"If you hated it so much, you would make me stop using it."

"Would make you," Brennan began. "I've _tried_ to get you to stop. I've told you numerous times to stop calling me Bones."

"Yeah," Booth agreed. "You've _tried_ to get me to stop. You haven't really given it the old Brennan heave ho, have you?"

"I don't know what that means?" Booth smiled over at her.

"It means, that if you were that opposed to the name, you would have beaten me to a bloody mess months ago."

"Would it work if I did that now?" Booth glanced over at Brennan who was offering him a sweet- a dangerously sweet smile.

"I don't think so." Booth pulled off the main road onto a dirt one. "Agent Bryce should be waiting somewhere up this mountain," he said. After a five-minute drive, Booth pulled to a stop behind a row of SUVs and pick up trucks.

"I know," Shanelle said, when Booth looked back at her. "Stay in the car."

"Now you're learning." He let the windows down as he and Brennan got out. After she grabbed her kit, they made their way to the edge of the woods where a young man, maybe mid twenties, stood waiting. Booth automatically stepped closer to Brennan as they walked when he saw the young agent run his eyes up and down his partner.

"Agent Booth?" the young man said.

"That's right."

"I'm Agent Aaron Beltran." Booth shook his hand.

"I thought Agent Bryce was meeting us."

"He's with the body. Told me I was to bring you and your…partner at once." Booth nodded.

"Lead the way." Beltran looked disappointed, but turned and began to lead them through the woods. The walk was short before Booth saw a sight he knew; A shot of white hair blowing in the wind around a dark tan face. "Glen," he called out. The older man turned around and a smile split his face.

"Seeley." Booth moved past Brennan and clasped the man's hand.

"Good to see you old man." Booth smiled over at Brennan as she came to a stop beside him. "I'll like you to meet my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. Bones, Agent Glen Bryce." Brennan offered the man a slight smile and shook his hand.

"Nice to finally meet you, Dr. Brennan," Agent Bryce said. "I heard Booth was working with a beauty." Booth noticed Brennan's cheeks go a soft shade of pink.

"So, what do we have?" Booth asked.

"The damnedest thing," Bryce said, turning from the pair. "A hiker found a body just up a ways. Covered in ant bites and bound- hands and legs. I'll take you to her."

"Has she been moved?" Brennan asked, as the body came into view. The ant mound was ten or so a feet away.

"No, ma'am." Brennan sat down her kit, opened it up and pulled out a pair of gloves. She took out her camera and snapped a few pictures and then bent down next to her.

"Looks like she's been here about as long as Lundy." Booth nodded his agreement and stood watching Brennan do her examination.

_Hotel in Gadsden, Alabama_

Dr. Temperance Brennan sat on her bed in her hotel room. The comforter was pulled off the bed, and laid on the floor. Her knees were drawn up, a pad of paper resting in her lap and her cell phone was pressed to her ear. "What do you mean, you're not coming home?" Angela asked from the other in of the line.

"We're in Alabama," Brennan said.

"What are you doing there? Did you and Booth decide to run away together?" Brennan rolled her eyes.

"Another body's been found, Angela, stay with me."

"Sorry. What do you need us to do?"

"The body is heading to you now. Have Zack do a work up. I need to know how she died, and who she is. Some samples are being sent as well for Hodgins."

"What do you need me to do, sweetie?"

"Keep the boys from killing each other." Angela laughed.

"Did you just make a joke?"

"I assure you it won't happen again."

"Booth is starting to rub off on you," Angela teased.

"He is not," Brennan protested. "Just pass along my instructions and call me when you have something."

"Will do, Boss Lady." Angela smiled and snapped her cell phone shut. Laying it to the side, she glanced down at the picture she was working on. Angela lightly touched her pencil to Brennan's face and finished her lips, giving her friend a small, soft smile. Angela was very happy with how it was turning out. _Now,_ she thought. _For Booth._

_Back in Hotel, Gadsden, Alabama_

Brennan closed her phone and let it drop to the bed. She quickly jotted down something on her paper, and when a knock came to her door, she didn't look up. "Come in, Booth."

"How did you know it was me?" Booth asked, opening the door and stepping over the threshold.

"You're rubbing off on me," she said without thinking. She looked up and found him looking at her with his brows together. "What?"

"I'm rubbing off of you?" Brennan shrugged.

"Angela."

"Ah." Booth sat down on the foot of the bed. "So, you left instructions for the squints?"

"Angela will call as soon as they have something."

"Good. You ready to grab some supper?" Brennan nodded, and sat her notebook aside.

"I'm starving." Booth smiled as he watched her stand from the bed and run a hand over her hair. "What?" she asked, catching Booth's eyes in the mirror that hung over the small dresser.

"Nothing," he answered, standing himself. "Let's go get Dr. Bryant and then food."

_Next day, Hotel in Gadsden, Alabama_

Booth woke slowly and stretched his arms over his head. With a loud yawn, he rubbed the heels of his hands over his face. Folding his arms under his head, a smile touched his lips. Memories of the night before played through his mind. Shanelle had asked some tough questions, but he found he had enjoyed the conversation. A knock came on his door, and Booth groaned, but threw the covers off, and reached for his pants. He pulled them on, and headed to the door. A quick check through the peek hole, then Booth slowly opened the door. "Morning, Bones," he said lazily. "Glad you decided to knock this time." Brennan felt her cheek grow hot as she raked her eyes over Booth's bare chest.

"Angela called," Brennan said, moving in the room. Booth closed the door and turned to face her.

"And?"

"They matched dental records. Her name is Pleasant Devereux." Booth walked back to his bed and sat down. He reached over to his phone and flipped it open.

"I'll call headquarters. See what I can find out." Brennan nodded.

"Are we going back to DC?" Booth shook his head and then talked into the phone.

"Mack, it's Booth, I need you to look into something for me." Brennan watched Booth as he talked. She took in the muscles on his chest, the way his eyes focused on the floor as he waited for Mack to come back to the phone. "Yeah, a girl named Pleasant Devereux. That's right. ASAP. Thanks." Booth snapped the phone shut and tossed it on the bed. "Let's give Mack a few hours. I'll call Glen and see what he can find out. I don't want to go home, just to come back here."

"Well, lets go talk to Bryce," Brennan said.

"Hold on a minute," Booth said, standing. "Let me take a quick shower. Then we'll head over."

"Well, hurry up then. I'll go get Shanelle."

_Diner in Gadsden, Alabama_

Brennan and Shanelle sat at a small table talking, while Booth was just outside, talking on the phone. Brennan watched him through the large window she sat beside. From time to time, Booth would catch her eyes and offer her a small smile, a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and then he would go back to jotting down information. Finally he closed his phone, and waved for Brennan to come out. She and Shanelle quickly paid the bill and joined Booth outside.

"They found Pleasant's parents. Don and Lovely Devereux, and they live here in Gadsden. She also went to the University of Alabama."

"Have they been told?" Brennan asked. Booth shook his head. "Great." Shanelle looked from anthropologist to agent.

"That means…you two tell them?" she ventured to ask.

"Yeah," Booth said. "We'll drop you back at the hotel." For once, the reporter didn't argue. The last thing she wanted to do was tell parents that the daughter has been found dead.

_The Devereux House_

Booth pulled the SUV to a stop, and shut off the engine. He and Brennan sat there for a moment looking at the house, neither one wanting to be the first to get out.

"We have to go up," Brennan said, unfastening her seat belt.

"I know," Booth answered, doing the same. "It's just that…it never gets any easier, you know?" Brennan watched the dark cloud pass over her partner, and she reached out and placed a hand on his arm.

"It's not supposed to, Booth," she said. "If telling people this news became easy, for either one of us, then it's time to find a new line of work."

"You seem to handle it better than I do," Booth commented, looking over at her.

"I just hide it better." She offered him a smile. "Come on." Booth nodded, and the pair got out of the car. They walked up the front walk together, and when they reached the door, Booth knocked. After a minute, the door opened, and a man, late thirties with black hair, stood there.

"We ain't buying anything," the man said, and began to close the door, but Booth's hand kept it open.

"Don Devereux?" The man looked at Booth with wide eyes.

"Yes, that's right."

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI," Booth said, pulling out his badge and showing it to the man. "And this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"The FBI? What is this about?"

"May we come in?" Don nodded and stepped out of the way.

"Lovely," Don called as his lead the pair into the living room. "We have company." Booth waited for Lovely Devereux to join them before he began.

"Mr. And Mrs. Devereux, we are very sorry to have to tell you this."

"It's about Pleasant, isn't it?" Don asked.

"Yes, sir, your daughter was found dead yesterday." Lovely let out a loud yell and buried her head in her hands. Don wrapped his arms around his wife.

"How? Where?"

"We're not sure about the cause yet," Booth said. "But she was found not far from here, in the woods."

"Why is this a FBI matter?" Don asked.

"We have reason to believe, sir, that the person who killed your daughter, also killed a young woman in South Carolina." Lovely shook in her husband's arm. Booth watched Don rub slow circles on his wife's back.

"What can we do to help?" Don asked.

"Did Pleasant ever mention a man? Somebody who made her feel uncomfortable?" Don shook his head.

"Not to me, how about you, Lovely?" The woman lifted her head and wiped at her now blood shot eyes.

"No, nothing. But she," Lovely sniffled. "She might have told her best friend. Wendy Packard. She…she lives a few streets over. Or maybe her boyfriend, Michael Lotts."

"Thank you both," Booth said standing. He pulled a card out and handed it to Don. "If you think of anything that might help, please call me. Again, we're very sorry for your loss." Booth and Brennan left the Devereux house, and walked toward the SUV.

"So, we're going to talk to the best friend or the boyfriend first?" Brennan asked, when Booth opened her door for her.

"Might as well head to Wendy Packard's place, since it's close by. I'll call Bryce and have him track down both addresses for us."

"Booth," Brennan began, as he climbed into the driver seat.

"Yeah?"

"We're going to catch this guy, right?"

"Bones, do you even have to ask?" He smiled over at her and she nodded.

"Guess not."

"We'll catch the bastard," Booth confirmed. "With the best working on it, how could we not?" Brennan rolled her eyes at his ego, but couldn't hide the smile. _We really are the best_, she thought.

----------------------------------------------------

_FBI Headquaters:_

I carefully looked both ways…up and then down the hall. After I made sure that the coast was clear, I pulled out my lock picking kit and began to use my skill to open the door. However, as I reached for the knob, it turned in my hand._ Very Careless, Agent Booth. _I made my way into the office and quickly hurried to the desk. _Jackpot!_ Right on top was a folder labeled 'ANTS'. I opened the folder, and using my nifty secret spy pen camera, I snapped pictures of the hand written notes. A noise from the hall made me look up. _Damn!_ I looked around, and then ducked under the desk. I heard the door open, and Booth's shoes hit on the floor. "I thought I turned off the lamp," I heard him say, before he reached over and turned off the light. I stayed in my hiding spot, until I heard Booth leave and the door shut. After five minutes, I climbed out from the desk, took a few more pictures, and then quickly left the office. The pictures have been downloaded, and this is what Agent Booth has so far about the case:

Victim #1- Dahlia Lundy, age 20, sophomore at Clemson University. Daughter of Julie Lundy. Allergic to ant bites. A very sweet girl. Best friend is Melissa Beth Ginn.

Victim #2- Pleasant Devereux, age 19, sophomore at the University of Alabama. Daughter of Don and Lovely Devereux. Best friend is Wendy Packard. Boyfriend is Michael Lotts.

People we have interviewed:

# 1 – Julie Lundy. Couldn't come up with anybody who would want to hurt Dahlia.

# 2 – Melissa Beth Ginn. Also couldn't come up with anything.

# 3 – Jordan Ginn, Melissa's younger brother. Remembers a man in a red baseball cap.

# 4 – Becky Ford, goes to Clemson. Remembers a man in a read cap, as well. At one of the football games last season.

# 5 - Sarah Hernley, went to same game with Dahlia. Remembers man, also remembers white teeth. Man 'followed?' her and Dahlia to the restrooms.

# 6 & 7 – Don and Lovely Devereux. Also didn't know anything, but suggested Pleasant's best friend, Wendy Packard and her boyfriend, Michael Lotts.

What we think we know:

The Un-Sub is a 'creepy' man in a red baseball cap. Has really white teeth. Possibly stalks his victims before he abducts them. Walks victim into the woods. Bounds hands and legs, once around ankles, once around knees and once around thighs. Then throws victim into a fire ant mound.

First victim had a reaction to the ants, died within 5 minutes. The second victim was able to get out of the mound and crawl 'worm-like' to try and flee. The ant bites over took her.

-----------------------------------------------

_You know what to do._


	8. Who Implied What?

**A/N: No words from Shanelle to start this chapter, 'cause she's not in it.**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_Gadsden Alabama_

Special Agent Seeley Booth pulled into the driveway of a small, brick house that sported an American flag on one side of the porch, and an Alabama Roll Tide flag on the other side. "Roll tide?" Brennan asked, as she stepped out of the SUV.

"Ride that Crimson Tide," Booth answered, walking around to the front of the vehicle. Brennan drew her brows together and looked at her partner.

"I don't know what that means." Booth gave a low chuckled.

"It's their slogan," he explained. "The Alabama Roll Tide. It's the name of the University of Alabama football team." Brennan looked back at the flag.

"Then why is there an elephant on it?" she asked. "What's an elephant got to do with a crimson tide?" Booth shrugged.

"Been trying to figure that out for years," he said, before starting toward the door. Booth pushed the doorbell, and waited. Finally the door opened to reveal a petite woman with white hair, neatly fixed up in a bun.

"May I help you?" the woman asked sweetly. Booth withdrew his badge and showed it to her.

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI," he said. "And this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"Oh, yes, Don called and said you would be stopping by." The woman unlocked the screen door and gestured for them to come in. "Wendy is up in her room. She's been crying nonstop."

"I'm afraid I didn't get your name, ma'am," Booth said. The white hair woman turned.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Lenora Packard, Wendy's grandmother. If you'll just have a seat, I'll go get Wendy."

"Thank you, Ms. Packard," Booth said, and he and Brennan watched the grandmother leave the room. They both took the opportunity to look around the small, but inviting living room. Pictures lined numerous shelves and hung on the wall. The rustle of fabric made the pair turn their heads and a young woman, tall with mouse brown hair stood watching them. Her eyes were red from crying and she clutched a picture frame to her chest.

"I'm Wendy," she said softly, and walked into the room. The young girl took a seat opposite the agent and doctor.

"Hello, Wendy," Booth began. "I'm Agent Booth with the FBI, and this is my partner, Dr. Brennan." Wendy's eyes flashed in recognition of the name, but she didn't say anything. "We would like to ask you some questions. Is that alright?" Wendy nodded. "Can you tell us about Pleasant?" Wendy took a deep, ragged breath, and closed her eyes. Booth didn't push. They just waited.

"Pleasant," she started faintly, opening her eyes and looking at Booth. "Has been my best friend since third grade. We do…did everything together. She was kind and outspoken. Kinda wonky but everybody liked her. She sang in the choir, taught herself the guitar when we were ten. She…she dreamed of going to Scotland. We were planning on going to Cancun for summer break next year." Wendy fought to keep the tears from falling.

"What can you tell us about her boyfriend?"

"Mike? They were so in love. Had been together since sixth grade," Wendy stopped and rubbed the back of one hand over her eyes. "Sorry. We've all been friends for years. Me, Pleasant, Mike, Joey, Amber and Jeremy. We tease Mike all the time because he decided to go to Auburn instead of Bama, but we were all…close, ya know?" Booth nodded his understanding.

"Do you remember Pleasant ever mentioning anybody giving her trouble? Maybe a man paying her unwanted attention?" Wendy shook her head no.

"She never said anything, Agent Booth, but Pleasant was beautiful." She handed him the picture she was holding. Booth looked at it, showed it the Brennan and then handed it back.

"Yes, she was."

"Wendy," Brennan said. "Do you remember anybody that was out of place? Maybe at a party?" Wendy pinched her lips together and thought. Suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Yes," she said. "Last year, we went to this party, just off campus. Had to be 100 kids or so, but there was this one guy who seemed…I don't know, out of place. At first I thought maybe he was an older brother, but I don't know."

"Can you tell us anything about him?" Booth asked.

"Not really, I remember he had this red baseball cap. Not crimson like school colors, but red. Like a fire truck. Oh, he also had this tattoo, but I couldn't see all of it. It went into his sleeve."

"What could you see?" Wendy shook her head.

"Just…just a tail. Or at least I thought it looked like a tail. If he hadn't been so creepy, I might have asked him."

"How was he creepy?"

"He just had this…_feel_ about him." She turned to Brennan and added, "You know what I mean, don't you?" Brennan nodded.

"I know." Booth looked at his partner and then back to Wendy.

"Thank you, Wendy, for your time." Booth pulled a card from his pocket. "If you think of or hear anything, please give me a call." Booth and Brennan stood, and started off they way they had come in.

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan," Wendy called out. The pair stopped and turned back. "Catch who did this." Booth nodded, and they left.

"What do you think?" Brennan asked as they walked to the SUV.

"I think we're getting a clearer picture of our suspect. I just wish somebody could tell us what he looks like. Instead of creepy with white teeth."

"I've been thinking about that," Brennan said, as she moved to get into the vehicle. She waited until Booth climbed into the driver seat before continuing.

"About white teeth?"

"Yeah, this guy must have really white teeth for somebody to remember that. Not everybody has really white teeth, Booth."

"Nice observation there, Sherlock." He started the engine and glanced over at his partner, who was staring at him with a blank expression. "What about white teeth?"

"Well, why would somebody have really white teeth?"

"They could just want them."

"Or they could be an actor or something like that."

"Nice try, Bones, but there's too many possibilities right now."

"It was just a thought."

"Good thought," Booth said. "But we need more information."

------

"Booth," Brennan said, as they pulled to a stop in front of a large brick house with a wrap around porch.

"Yeah." Brennan glanced away, and then fiddled with her nails.

"Can we go get food after this?" The question caught Booth off guard and he began to laugh. "What?"

"I just wasn't expecting you to ask that."

"Well, it's 5 o'clock. We haven't eaten in hours." Booth looked at his watch.

"You're right. We'll go find food after we talk to Michael." Brennan nodded her approval and got out. They walked up and knocked on the door. Moments later, a young man wearing an Auburn shirt opened it and looked at the partners. "Michael Lotts?"

"Yes, may I help you?" Booth pulled out his badge and flashed it.

"I'm Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI, and this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan." Michael nodded.

"Pleasant's parents called. Please come in." Booth and Brennan followed the man into the living room.

"We're sorry about your loss." Michael simply nodded. "Did Pleasant ever mention anything about somebody giving her trouble?"

"No, sir, Pleasant never mentioned anything."

"How about any of the other girls in your group?" Again Michael shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm not much help."

"It's okay, Michael," Booth said.

"How about you?" Brennan said. "Did you go to any parties with Pleasant?" Michael thought for a minute.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "Now that you mention it. I went to a party last year, and there was this one guy there. With a red cap. He almost got in a fight with another guy, that's way I remember."

"Who was the another guy?" Michael drew his brows together.

"It was, um, Luke…_Parker?_ That's it. Luke Parker."

"Can you tell us about the fight?"

"Not much to tell, really. This guy said something and Luke got all in his face about it, but I didn't hear what was said, and Luke never would tell."

"Thank you for your time," Booth said, standing.

_Restaurant, Gadsden Alabama_

"I wonder why nobody else mentioned this fight between Parker and Baseball Cap Guy." Brennan said, dipping a bread stick in olive oil and herbs, and the taking a bite. Booth watched her from across the table, and tried to hide a smile as he watched oil drip down her chin. She hurried to wipe it off.

"I don't know," he finally answered. He reached out and picked up his wine glass. "Maybe nobody else saw it. At least nobody we've talked too." He took a sip of his wine. "Could be that Luke and BBC guy got into it outside."

"BBC?"

"Baseball cap." Brennan shook her head, and dipped her bread back into the oil. "I'm glad that Dr. Bryant decided to order room service."

"Yeah, me too," Brennan said.

"You and…Shanelle close?" Booth asked, as the waitress brought their plates of food and sat them down. "Thank you," he said, offering a smile. The young woman blushed and hurried away.

"Not really," Brennan began. She took a bite of food. "Mmm, this is good. Anyhow, like I said, not really. She was a year ahead of me, but I was in some of her classes. The anthropology world is small, we all know each other. Or at least have heard of each other." The pair ate in silence for a few minutes before Brennan spoke again. "When she first called me, I said I would think about the article. She had heard about my work with the FBI and was curious. I told her that I would do the interview, but I refused her request to speak with you. That's when she called Goodman."

"I had wondered how that all went down." Brennan took another bite of her food.

"This is so good," she said. "How did you know about it?" Booth gave her a grin and poked his fork at her.

"That, dear Bones, is a secret." He laughed at the look she sent to him. "I thought we needed some real food, and this is as close as we'll get around here."

"Real food, eh?"

"Yeah, it's one of the things I hate about being on the road. No place to cook."

"I didn't know you did." Booth nodded and swallowed.

"You don't think I feed Parker take out all the time, do you?"

"Hadn't really thought about it, Booth." He shook his head.

"You're something else."

"What else am I?" Brennan asked. Booth laughed and took a drink of his wine.

"Forget it, Bones," he answered. "Maybe when we get back, you'll have to come over to my place. Taste a little of my cooking."

"Are you any good?" she questioned.

"Am I any good?" he started, faking hurt. "Pretty damn good if I do say so myself." Brennan smirked at his self-compliment.

"Well, then I'll take you up on your offer," she said. "I'll be expecting dinner."

"Would you like a movie with that?" Booth asked.

"Why would I want a movie?" Booth chuckled and took his last bite. "Were you teasing me, Booth?"

"Not at all, Bones. Just referring to the old saying 'a dinner and a movie'." Brennan pushed her empty plate away from her, and thought about the saying, before nodding.

"Okay, then."

"Okay?" Booth repeated. "Okay what?"

"Dinner and a movie. But it better be a good movie. Nothing sappy or girly or anything." Booth choked on his sip of wine.

"Bones," he began. "You do know what you just implied, don't you?" Brennan looked across the table with a blank stare. "A date. You just implied us going on a date."

"I most certainly did not," Brennan defended. "You're the one who offered to cook dinner. And you're the one who first mentioned including a movie. I just simply agreed that it was a good idea. So if anybody implied a date, it was you."

"I never said anything about a date," Booth said.

"Then it's settled," Brennan told him. "It's just two friends having dinner. Same as tonight." Booth met her smile and nodded. He raised his half empty glass.

"Agreed." Brennan mimicked his move.

"Agreed."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_So, why is the Bama mascot an _elephant?


	9. Kaitlin Tanner

**A/N: So why does a red elephant prance up and down the Tide sidelines, revving up the Tuscaloosa faithful on game day? Well, no one can really say for sure. Theories on the tradition's origin have varied over the years. **

**Here's the most excepted one: The elephant mascot got its origins in 1930, when Alabama played a home game against Ole Miss. For some reason, the second team started the game, and after a close first quarter, the first team came running onto the field. A local sportswriter wrote that a fan in the stands yelled "the elephants are coming!" The first team then proceeded to kick the crap out of Ole Miss. Regardless of whether the fan's exclamation is true or not, how funny is it that 'Bama started their second team against Ole Miss, toyed around with them and then trotted out the first team to blow them off the field?**

**And what about 'Crimson Tide'? Alabama eschews "normal" team names and mascots and instead goes with the "Crimson Tide" and an elephant. In 1907, Alabama played Auburn in Birmingham in what was the last football game between the two rivals until 1948. Auburn was heavily favored, but Alabama played a great game on a field that was essentially a sea of mud, and a local sportswriter coined the phrase "Crimson Tide" in his description of the Alabama players' uniforms**

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_The time I have spent with Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth has been eye opening to say the least. Never have I imaged a working relationship between science and government the way I have seen it. An equal partnership filled with clashing opinions, around the clock banter, and out right fights. Yet what makes this partnership work- and so well- is the friendship that has developed between not only Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth, but between the whole team at the Medico-Legal Labs of the Jeffersonian Institution. For without the support of Angela Montenegro, a forensic_ _artist and scientist in her own right, Dr. Jack Hodgins, the team's entomologist, and Zack Addy, Dr. Brennan's assistant and 'Boy Wonder' as Agent Booth calls him, cases would go unsolved. It's the team working together that makes Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth's case history so impressive. As Dr. Brennan reminded me again, "We are all friends…and family." And that's why this partnership works. Both the Jeffersonian Institution and the FBI should be proud of this team. A group of five people who have found away to work together, despite their differences, and make it work. I believe that we need more people like Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth and their team of 'squints'. _

- SB -

Kaitlin Tanner sat on the couch in her parents living room. Her bare feet were pulled up under her, and she worried her bottom lip between her teeth in concentration. Her fingers expertly moved across the controller for her X-Box, moving the character on the TV screen through the fantasy world of 'Fable'. "Take that you thugs," she said, as her character cast a spell and three bad guys fell to the ground. A whining noise pulled her attention from the game to the back door. The family dog- her dog really- sat looking at her. Eyes pleading. "Okay, okay," Kaitlin said, pausing the game and standing. "I get the message. Loud and clear." She made her way to the door, the dog now turning circles. "Just wait a minute," she told the dog, as she unlocked and opened door. She held open the screen door, and waved the moths away. "Go on," she said, and the dog ran out side, across the porch and down the steps- disappearing into the night. Kaitlin shook her head, and closed the doors. She took the opportunity to stretch her legs, and to refill her glass of tea. A quick trip to the kitchen, and she returned with a glass of tea, a can of soda, a bowl of popcorn and a candy bar. "That should hold me over," she said out-loud, placing all her goodies on the coffee table. She picked up the controller, and was just about to sit, when a scratching noise came to the back door. _That was fast_, she thought, as she crossed the room to let the dog back in. Kaitlin threw the door open and then pushed open the screen door, but the dog wasn't there. "Maxie," she called, and pushed the screen door a bite wider. "Max…" Her calls where cut off by a scream that escaped her throat. A hand had darted out from the side and grabbed her wrist. Kaitlin tried to pull away, but the hold was too tight. With one jerk from the hand, she stumbled forward. She could clearly see a man now, and panic over took her. The man brought a rug to her face, and she felt her resolve give way as she fell into the man's waiting arms.

_Hotel in Gadsden Alabama_

Dr. Temperance Brennan rolled over in her bed and pulled the extra pillow tightly to her chest. A sleepy sigh escaped her lips as she cuddled her head to the softness. In reality, it was just a pillow that she snuggled to, but in her dream, it was a chiseled chest that her fingers were spread across. The corners of Brennan's lips turned up in a smile, and she flexed her hand, feeling the hardness of the body beside her. She listened carefully and heard the _thump-thump-thump_ of his heart. _Thump-thump-thump. That's odd_, she thought. _His heart beats in sets of three._ _Thump-thump-knock._ Brennan's eyes fluttered behind her closed eyelids. _Thump-knock-knock._ Brennan rolled to her back, and fought against the reality that was coming back to her. Her dream was slowly slipping away from her. _Knock-knock-knock._ "Bones!" she heard muffled from the other side of her hotel door. Brennan forced her eyes opened and focused on the clock- 6:04 AM. Normally the early time wouldn't have bothered her, but she hadn't gotten to bed until after 4 and frankly, she was reluctant to wake from her dream. _Knock-knock-knock_. "Bones! Come on. Wake up." Brennan flung the covers off, and pushed herself out of bed. With bare feet, she padded across the floor, and opened the door.

"What?" she growled to Booth raised fist. The agent stopped in mid-motion and looked over his partner. Her hair was tousled, and she wore white sleep shorts with frogs on them and a matching tank top.

"Feelin' froggy this morning," Booth teased as he pushed into the room.

"What?"

"Never mind," he answered, turning to face his partner. Brennan pushed the door closed and crossed back over to her bed.

"What do you want, Booth? And it better be important, or I'm going back to sleep." Booth stood there and watched as Brennan laid back down and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"No time to sleep, Bones," he said, grabbing the bottom edge of the sheet and tugging it down.

"Stop it, Booth," she snapped, only to make him laugh.

"This isn't like you," he stated. "What's wrong?" Brennan pulled the covers back up.

"Nothing," she said through pouting lips. "I'm just tired."

"I know you better than that. So what's up?"

"Why are you here, Booth?" she asked again.

"You tell me what's wrong, or the tickle monster will get you." Brennan's eyes snapped open and she focused on him.

"I'm not a child," she started.

"No, but you're pouting like one. So I ask again, what's wrong?"

"I have an irritating partner," she said, closing her eyes.

"I warned you," Booth said, jumping on to the side of the bed. Brennan let out a surprised squeal as Booth's hands sought out the sensitive area on her belly and sides. As he tickled, Brennan twisted, her feet thrashed against the bed, and her hands tried to push him away in an attempt to protect herself.

"Stop it," she demanded, but her laughter filled the room. "Stooop!" Booth smiled to himself. He had never seen his partner looking so…_childlike_, her cheeks slightly red from laughing and a wide smile upon her face. He wasn't sure when her shirt had ridden up to reveal her smooth skin, but he found himself touching it as he continued his assault. He enjoyed the contact, but when she began to struggle for breath, he stopped, and moved from his knees to his butt. Sitting toward the foot of the bed. "That…wasn't…fair," she huffed at him, her arms crossed over her stomach, and she fought to keep a straight face.

"Hey, I warned you," he said. "Gave you an option and everything." Brennan giggled and then pushed herself into a sitting position.

"I was supposed to meet Russ for dinner last night," she said.

"I'm sorry, Bones."

"It's not your fault I didn't make it, but I feel bad. When I called him, he sounded…upset. Do you think I hurt him?" Booth could see concern clearly in her blue eyes.

"I'm sure he understood, Bones. You have a job to do, he knows that." Brennan looked away, and fiddled with the edge of the sheet.

"I know, Booth, but…I don't want to lose him again."

"You won't, Temperance," he said. The sound of her name falling from his lips sent a shiver down her spine. She looked up at him. "He understands. And if he doesn't, then I can beat some sense into him if you want." Brennan laughed at the statement.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, but thanks for the offer." Booth returned the smile, and for a moment, the room was silent. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"I…um, tracked down Luke Parker," he said, and Brennan nodded.

"Good, so are we going to talk to him today?"

"Yeah, and I thought that Bryant can come along if she wants."

"You're feeling generous today. What did you have to drink last night?"

"Just the wine at dinner," he responded. "But lets not make a big deal out of it, or I might change my mind." Booth stood. "Why don't you get dressed, I'll go wake Bryant, and I'll meet both of you downstairs?"

"That sounds good." Booth nodded, and headed toward the door. "Booth." He turned back. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Bones," he answered and then left.

_On the road, Gadsden Alabama_

"So why the change of heart, Agent Booth?" Shanelle asked from her spot in the back of the SUV.

"I haven't had a change of heart, Dr. Bryant," he answered coldly.

"Then why the invite to come along?"

"If you would rather me take you back to the hotel, Dr. Bryant, I'll all too happy to do that."

"Not at all, Agent Booth."

"Booth and I are simply talking to someone who might have some information about a fight that happened last year," Brennan said. "Since there's no family involved, we didn't think it could do any damage." Shanelle nodded from the back seat.

"You two will be happy to know that my article is almost done."

"Oh, yipee," Booth answered.

"Booth," Brennan warned in a low tone. "That's good to hear, Shanelle. Any questions you don't have answers to?"

"Well, now that you've mentioned it, I would like to ask one thing."

"And what's that?"

"We've talked about it before, but I just want to clarify."

"We are nothing more than friends," the pair said at the same time.

"No, it's not that," Shanelle said with a laugh. "Well, not what you think, at least. How good of friends are you two?" Brennan and Booth glanced over at each other.

"We are," Booth began, a little unsure as to what to say.

"The best of friends," Brennan filled in, and they shared a smile.

"Like I said before," Booth started. "Doing what we do is draining, and honestly, not good dinner conversation. To be able to go out after work, and just…talk, helps to keep us sane. And it's the same with Angela and Jack and Super Genius Freak."

"Zack," Brennan corrected. "We are all friends…and family." Shanelle nodded her understanding.

"Then I think that wraps it up for me."

"Good," Booth mumbled under his breath. He turned the SUV off the main road and followed a dirt path about a quarter mile, until a large Southern Plantation house came into view. Booth let out a low whistle. "Now that's a house." He pulled the SUV to a stop, shut off the engine, and the three crawled out. With a look around, the FBI agent lead the way to the front door. A quick knock and two minutes later, the door opened. Booth flashed his badge. "Hi, I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth." He gestured to Brennan. "This is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. We're looking for Luke Parker." The gentleman at the door looked the trio up and down before unlocking the screen door.

"I'm John, Luke's father," the man said. "What is this about?"

"We were hoping to ask your son about a party that he attended last year."

"Is he in any trouble?"

"No, sir," Booth said. "Just hoping he could help identify someone that might have given him a hard time."

"More than a hard time," a younger voice said, then a young man came into view. His head was shaved and he sported a goatee. "Gave me a black eye and a bloody nose." Luke walked up next to his father and stuck out his hand. "Luke Parker."

"Agent Booth. Doctors Brennan and Bryant." Luke nodded at the two women.

"That party was a total blast, that is, until _he_ showed up."

"Can you tell us about him? Why the fight?"

"He, um, said something. About my girl. You know, she walks by and he makes some snide comment. One things lead to another, and bam, we're fighting."

"Do you know his name?"

"No, sir?"

"Do you remember what he looked like?"

"Tall, about my height. Red baseball cap. He had these really white teeth and a tattoo on his left arm." Luke thought for a moment. "Brown. He had sand brown hair."

"Do you know what the tattoo was of?"

"Didn't see a lot of it. Maybe a whale?" Booth nodded.

"Thank you for your time." He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to the young man. "If you think of anything else, please call."

"Will do."

--

Kaitlin Tanner was scared. Her wide eyes scanned the small room that the man was keeping her in. There were no windows, only a single light bulb suspended by a three-foot string from the ceiling. When she took a deep breath, her nostrils filled with a mixture of sweet honeysuckle and manure. Kaitlin wrinkled her nose. The gag in her mouth tasted liked dirt, and the tie around her hands cut into her wrists. She rocked back and forth in the only chair in the room. A wooden chair with one broke leg. _There has to be a way out_, she thought to herself. _Just stay calm and think._

--

"I'm telling you," Booth said. "It was the funniest thing ever." Shanelle laughed from the back seat, but Brennan simply crossed her arms.

"I don't see how that's funny," she scolded. "Somebody could have been hurt."

"I know that, Bones," Booth replied between chuckles. "But nobody was. Thus it's funny." Brennan rolled her eyes.

"I still don't see it." Booth smiled and was just about to say something when his cell phone went off. The cabin of the SUV fell silent as he answered.

"Booth." Brennan let her gaze drift out the window. "Yes, sir. We've just finished up here." Silent. "Why do you think it's related?" Brennan turned her eyes to her partner. "That's a good reason sir." Booth glanced at his watch. "We'll be on our way within the hour." With that, he hung up.

"On our way where?" Brennan asked.

"Dalton Georgia."

"Has another body been found?" Shanelle asked from the back seat.

"No, well, yes. A girl has gone missing. Now normally that wouldn't concern us but her dog was found with a broken neck, and tossed in a fire ant bed in the back yard."

"You think that BBC Guy kidnapped her?" Brennan asked.

"It's our only lead. Call Angela and update her on the case. See if she can do some research about tattoos. See if there's any gangs that uses a whale."

"Isn't that the FBI's job?" Shanelle asked.

"Yeah," Booth answered. "But it's also my job since it's my case, and since Bones is my partner, I can deal out assignments, and since Angela is on her team, then she can pass them along. See how that works?"

"That and Angela can have the information faster," Brennan tossed in.

"Well, yes, that too." Brennan smiled, pulled out her cell phone and hit Angela's speed dialed button.

"Ange, it's me," she said into the phone.

"Bren, sweetie, it's about time you checked in. Where are you now?"

"Heading to Georgia. Listen, I need you and the boys to do a few things for me." Angela listened as her friend talked, jotting down notes when needed and asking clarifying questions.

"I can do that," Angela answered, softly tapping the eraser of the pencil on the desk. "When do you think you'll be home?"

"I'm not sure," Brennan said. "Depends on what we find in Georgia."

"Oh, okay." Angela let out a sigh. "Well, you and Hunky G-Man be careful."

"We are always careful, Angela."

"Yeah, whatever. Bye, sweetie."

"Bye." Angela snapped her phone shut and put it aside. She brought the eraser to her lips, and thought. Her eyes surveying the drawing in front of her. She had Brennan finished for the most part, but Booth was still in total outline stage. He stood just behind Brennan, and turned ever so slightly turned toward her. Angela had drawn him with one hand you couldn't see- _On Brennan's lower back,_ Angela thought- and his other hand on his hip. Angela smiled at her progress, and then picked up her note pad and went in search of Zack and Hodgins.

--

Kaitlin jumped as the silence was broken by a key being inserted into a lock, and then the lock turning. The door squeaked open on rusty hinges, and a few rays of sunlight filtered in. Dust floated in the golden streaks. Kaitlin blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him standing there. "Just wanted to check on you, my innocent one," the man said, flashing a white teeth smile. Kailin struggled against her gag. "Now, now, if you wished to say something, I'll give you the chance." The man moved to her, and tugged down the material.

"Who are you?" Kaitlin asked, fully aware that it wasn't the best question in the world.

"You may call me Avery," he said, running a dirty hand down her cheek. Kaitlin wanted to jerk back, but knew that might upset him. And that was something she couldn't afford to do.

"Why have you brought me here, Avery?"

"To keep you safe, Innocent One. To protect you."

"But I want to go home." Avery looked at her with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." With that, he replaced the gag, then turned and left the small room.

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_More to come..._


	10. Who Hums It's a Small World?

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up, but good news! The next one should come a little faster (as it is already done!)…YAY! Special Thanks to Goldy ((hugs)), you're the best! And to Mike who apparently, on occasions, is the 'creepy guy in the red baseball cap'. Just so you know, Kurt, Troy and Eric are the names of my brothers. And I do know someone at SCAD.**

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"A shame Bryant didn't want to join us," Booth said, as they pulled up in front of a small blue house sat on the side of a mountain.

"Don't give me that, Booth," Brennan said. "You were almost jumping for joy when she told us that she was flying home today."

"I can't help it," he started, as they climbed out of the SUV. "It's not that I don't like her, it's just, well, I'm use to discussing the case whenever I want." As the pair made their way up the front walk, the screen door to the house opened, and a young man in a dark blue suit stepped out.

"Agent Booth?" he questioned. When Booth nodded, he went on. "I'm Agent Sam Heyward." Booth shook the man's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Agent Heyward. This is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan." Heyward shook her hand as well.

"I've heard a lot about both of you," he said.

"What can you tell us?" Heyward pulled a notebook from his inside jacket pocket, flipped it open and began filling them in.

"The missing girl is Kaitlin Tanner, age 20. She attends SCAD. Home for the summer, getting ready to head back to school the weekend after Labor Day. Parents came home last night and found her gone, her little brother asleep upstairs, and the dog dead in the back yard."

"Excuse me," Brennan said. "But what is SCAD?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, it stands for the Savannah College of Art and Design. She's majoring in animation there."

"Can we see the dog?" Booth asked.

"Of course, follow me." Heyward took the pair around the side of the house, through a gate and to the very back of the fence. "We covered it with a tarp, hope that was okay?"

"That's fine," Booth said. "Can you remove it please." Heyward nodded, and then waved over two more agents. They carefully lifted the blue tarp, and put it aside. Brennan pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket and knelt beside the dead animal.

"I don't really do animals," Brennan said, her hands gently feeling along the dogs neck. "But it's definitely a broken neck."

"Have your forensic team lift trace and send it to the Jeffersonian," Booth told Heyward who nodded. "Are the parents inside?"

"Yes, sir, and they're expecting you." Booth put a hand on the small on Brennan's back as they walked toward the house. A quick knock and Booth opened the door. Two women and three men sat at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around mugs of coffee.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tanner," Booth said as they walked in.

"You must be the agent in charge and the doctor lady," one of the men said. "I'm Franklin Tanner, and this,"- he indicated the woman with short brown hair- "is my wife LeeAnn."

"I'm Agent Booth, and my partner, Dr. Brennan."

"The writer?" the other woman asked. Brennan offered a nervous smile. She hated when people recognized her name.

"Yes, ma'am," she finally said, taking a page out of Booth's book- smile, be nice and move on.

"Um, could you tell us about last night?" Booth said, cutting off any more questions from Brennan's fan.

"We went out," LeeAnn started. "Kaitlin stayed home with her little brother."

"When we got home," Franklin took over, "There were snacks and drinks on the coffee table. The TV was still on, but no Kaitlin. I went upstairs to check on Kurt, and to see if Kaitlin and Maxie, that's the dog, if they were in her bed. But they weren't."

"It's not like Kaitlin to just leave, especially since she was baby sitting," LeeAnn threw in.

"I went outside searching," Franklin began again. "That's when I found Maxie. We called the cops who called you guys."

"Can you tell us if Kaitlin was having any trouble with anyone? Did she ever mention a guy maybe bothering her?" Both parents shook their heads

"No, everybody liked Kaitlin," LeeAnn said. "If she was having problems she never mentioned it to me."

"Thank you both," Booth said, pulling a card from his pocket. "If you think of anything else, please call."

"So now we're dealing with a missing girl," Brennan said, as they made their way back to the SUV.

"Yeah, but who took Kaitlin, that's the question. I feel like we're going around in a circle. Two murder girls, and now one's missing, and we're no closer to finding this bastard than when we started." Booth hit the hood of the SUV. "Why can't I see it?" he demanded. "What am I missing?" Brennan placed a hand on his arm.

"We'll get there, Booth," she said. "Let's go over what we know."

"That Kaitlin is going to die unless we do something," he said in a hushed tone, and then walked to the driver side door and got in.

--

"This guy doesn't leave anything behind," Booth stated, as he paced the length of Brennan's hotel room. Her laptop was set up on the small desk provided, and Angela watched the agent as he passed.

"Nothing that we have found at least," Brennan corrected.

"What do the parents say?" Angela asked.

"They are all good girls," Booth said, passing the laptop again. Brennan watched from her seat.

"If I know nothing else, Booth," Angela said. "Is that even good girls have secrets."

"Yeah," Hodgins said, sticking his head in front of Angela so that he could talk. "Like the trace I found under Dahlia's nails."

"What about it, Jack?" Brennan asked.

"It was lube."

"Lube?" Booth questioned.

"Yeah, good stuff too. There wasn't a whole lot, but I pulled it from under her index finger on her right hand."

"So she was playing with something…or someone before she was killed," Angela said, shoving Hodgins out her way.

"That doesn't help us much," Brennan said.

"No, but maybe this will," Angela said. "I was able to find five men in the system that have documented whale, or whale like tattoos."

"How did you," Booth began and then shook his head. "Never mind. Good work. Can you email that to us?"

"On its way, sweetie," Angela said. She stood and Zack took the seat.

"Dr. Brennan, the materiel used for gags on both victims were strips of a shirt."

"One shirt, Zack?" Brennan asked.

"Yes, it seems to be a…um Mickey Mouse shirt."

"Mickey Mouse?" Booth asked. "Now that's just sick."

"Were you able to pull any DNA off the strips?" Brennan asked.

"Just the girls," Hodgins said, pulling the web cam to face him. "But from the first girl, some of the samples you sent were honey."

"He poured honey on them?" Booth questioned.

"No, just the first one."

"You should be getting those pictures any minute," Angela said, pushing Hodgins out her way.

"Thanks Ange," Brennan said. "And good work guys. We'll be in touch."

"Okay, bye sweetie." With that, the connection was broke.

"Mickey Mouse shirt, honey, and five known whale tail guys," Booth said. "What do you think our luck is?"

"I don't do luck," Brennan said, pulling up the pictures of the five suspects. Booth looked over her shoulder. They carefully scrolled through each one until they got to the fourth one.

"Him," Booth said, putting a finger on the screen.

"White teeth," Brennan commented. Booth pulled his phone and a moment later another agent picked up.

"Kelby,' he said. "I need you to look someone up for me." He waited and then read the name off the screen. "Avery Sterne and I need it ASAP." He hung up, and turned to Brennan.

"Let's hope that Kelby finds something.

--

Kaitlin adjusted in her seat trying to relieve pressure in her back. The wooden chair she was strapped to was getting hard, and her stomach growled. She pushed her tongue against the rag in her mouth, but was unable to push it out. She hated the taste. The sound of the door opening caused her to swing her head around. Avery walked in and caressed her face. "How are you today, sweet child?" he asked, pulling the gag away.

"I'm hungry," she said, trying to sound nice. "May I please have something to eat, Avery?" Her tone seemed to please the man, and he smiled.

"Of course you may," he said. "I'll be right back." Kaitlin watched him leave, humming-_What is that? It's a small world?_, thankful to have the gag out. Maybe, if she was nice, he wouldn't put it back in.

--

"It's him, Bones," Booth said once she had opened her hotel door.

"Who's him?" she questioned. She had been half-asleep when Booth had started pounding on her door.

"Avery Sterne, he's our guy." Booth turned to face her, a wide smile on his face.

"How are you so sure?"

"Other than the white teeth? One, he use to work at Disney World, hence the Mickey Mouse T-shirt."

"I'm sure a lot of people do and have," Brennan responded around a yawn.

"Two, we have ATM transactions in South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia."

"He could travel for his job."

"Okay, Bones, then how about this, not only does he have a whale tattoo, but he was treated in an Alabama hospital for a broken nose." Brennan crossed her arms and shook her head.

"I hope you have more than that?"

"I have a speeding ticket in his name given yesterday. The cop was questioned early today and says he remembers a young girl asleep in the back seat."

"Okay, that's good proof."

"Glad you agree, the SWAT team is waiting near his house. Come on." Brennan hurriedly got dressed, and in ten minutes they were on the road. Sterne, it turned out, lived only two hours away from their present location.

When they arrived, they were greeted by an Agent Troy Macklin. "The Sterne house is five doors down," the man explained. "We've checked, and he is home."

"Are your men ready to move?" Booth asked, opening the back of his SUV and pulling his bulletproof vest out.

"Yes, sir, on your go." Booth nodded. Once strapped in he looked back to Brennan.

"I want you to stay here," he instructed.

"But Booth," she began.

"Not buts, Bones," he cut her off. "Stay here."

"Alright." Booth offered her a smile and then waved other agent over.

"Watch her," he said. Brennan gave him a death glare for assigning her a babysitter, but didn't say anything. She just stood there and watched as Booth and Macklin moved away. After talking into radios, everybody had their assignment. Booth gave the word. "I want this bastard alive," he said.

"Got it." They made their way to Sterne's front door. If everything went down correctly, he would simply open the door for them. No gunfire, no body wounded. Things never go simply. Booth knocked on the door and waited. Nothing. That's when he saw the curtain move.

"He's made us," Booth said. "Break the door." He and Macklin stepped back as three guys with a ramrod stepped forward. One hit and the door swung open. Booth and Macklin were in, guns at the ready. Booth motioned for Macklin to go up, and he would take downstairs. Moving slowly through the house, he listened for movement. Each corner was taken with care. As Booth approached a blind corner, he heard a loud pop, and felt a burn in his leg. He didn't waste time. Sterne was on the move and Booth was only a step away. Throwing open the door leading to the basement, Sterne quickly started down the steps. "FBI," Booth yelled, but the man kept moving. Booth took the step two at a time and finally caught him at the bottom. Both agent and suspect fell to the ground and rolled. At the end, Sterne was face down with Booth's knee in his back and his gun to his head.

"Booth, you okay?" Macklin called, coming down the steps.

"I'm okay," he answered. "Be better when you get this SOB out of my sight." Booth turned Sterne over to Mackln.

"Your leg," the other agent said, as the basement began to full with people.

"Flesh wound," Booth answered, his attention on a door at the far end of the room. He picked up a hammer that was on a nearby shelf and walked over. With two good swings, Booth had the doorknob broke and gently opened the door. Sitting in the middle of the room was a young girl with wide, scared eyes. "Kaitlin?" he asked softly, walking toward her. She nodded. "I'm Special Agent Booth with the FBI." He pulled the gag from her mouth as she began to sob.

--

"Tell me, damn it," Booth demanded, slamming his hand down on the table. Avery Sterne looked across at the agent, his eyes cold and dead. "Why Dahlia? Why Pleasant? Why Kaitlin?" Sterne simply blinked at him. Booth stood up straight, casting a glance at the two-way mirror. He was furious and Brennan could see it in everything he did. The way he held his mouth, the way his back was tense, and all she could do was watch, and think. _What can we use against this guy?_ Booth paced back and forth in the interrogation room. "We have you for murder," Booth said. "Two counts, and kidnapping. We've even got you for animal cruelty."

"If you have as much as you say, Agent Booth," Stern began to speak. "Then we wouldn't still be in here, now would we?"

"Booth," Brennan called, opening the door. Her voice stopped him in motion to grab the jerk and pull him across the table. "May I see you?" Booth sucked his teeth, but stood and left the room.

"What is it, Bones?"

"What you're doing isn't getting through to him," she stated matter-of-factly.

"No duh, there, Sherlock," Booth said, running a hand through his hair.

"We need to figure out his trigger, the connection between the girls."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Brennan pinched her lips together. She hadn't made it that far in her plan.

"We need to talk to Kaitlin. Find out what she can tell us."

"Fine, we'll leave Sterne in there to sweat for a while."

--

Kaitlin sat on the couch, and despite the heat, was wrapped in a blanket. There were dark circles around her eyes, and her face was hollow and drawn. "Kaitlin," Booth began softly. "We just have a few questions." The girl nodded and squeezed her mother's hand tightly. Booth took a breath before going on. "What can you tell us about the man who took you? What did he say to you?"

"He kept," she began, her voice small and scared. "Calling me 'innocent one'. And, and he hummed 'It's a Small World'." Kaitlin shivered. "I'm sorry, but he didn't really say anything else."

"That's okay, Kaitlin, you've helped more than you know." Booth and Brennan said their good-byes, and as they walked to the SUV, Booth pulled out his cell phone.

"You going to tell me what you're thinking?" Brennan asked, but Booth was already talking to someone.

"Eric, yeah, it's me, Booth. Listen, I need you to run a check for me. My three victims, find out if they ever went to Disney World. That's right. ASAP. Thanks." He snapped the phone shut as they climbed into the car. "What I'm thinking is that the connection is Disney World."

"And how did you come to that?"

"Think about it, Bones. Sterne worked there, the gag was a Mickey Mouse shirt and he hums It's a Small World. If nothing else, what kind of person hums It's a Small World?"

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_Just one more chapter to go. That's right. One more chapter and then no more ANTS. But never fear! I'm already working on my next 2 fics...which pickes up after this one. So remember personal things that go on between Booth and Brennan. Cause the next few fics are more fluffy._


	11. Of Cases Solved and Friendships Lasting

**A/N: Well, here we are. The end. I do hope you all enjoyed the ride.**

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Brennan watched Booth pace back and forth in front of the windows in her hotel room. He had taken off his suit jacket and tie, and had undone the top buttons on his shirt. She could tell he was furious, and the smiling face and Avery Sterne didn't help. After they had talked to Kaitlin and Booth had called Eric that left nothing for them to do but wait. Brennan tried to focus on the papers spread out on the small desk but Booth's movement's- _Lack of movement, _she corrected, distracted her. Booth stood still, his hands on his hips and his gaze lost somewhere outside. Brennan stood from her chair and walked over to him. "Are you alright?" she asked, but was answered only by a heavy sigh. "Booth?" Nothing. "Seeley," she said, and placed a hand on his arm.

"Why can't I get to him?" he asked, never taking his eyes off of whatever he was looking at. "Why can't I get him to talk?"

"You've only had one go at him," Brennan said. "You'll get him next time." Booth turned his head to look at her. "You will." He nodded as his cell phone began to ring.

"Booth," he said into it. Brennan offered him a small smile and then went back to her papers. "Guess who all visited Disney World at the same time," he said, closing his phone some time later.

"Um, Dahlia, Pleasant and Kaitlin," Brennan answered.

"Very good, Bones. Now, who worked there at the same time the girls were there?"

"That's a tough one," Brennan teased. "But I'm going to say Sterne." Booth offered her a wide smile of thanks for playing along.

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner," he said.

"Okay, I have one for you. Who has a daughter that was killed when she was six?"

"Sterne?" Booth questioned, and Brennan nodded. "The same time he worked at Disney World."

"Yeah, so?" Brennan asked. Her partner's face was drawn up in thought. "What are you thinking, Booth?"

"That Sterne worked at Disney World at the same time our victims were there. His daughter would have been about the same age as the girls he took." Booth stopped a moment. "What happened to his daughter?"

"Alona," Brennan offered. "Some kind of fire at the place they lived."

"Fire?" Booth rubbed a hand over his face. "Where did they live?" Brennan flipped through the papers.

"A bed and breakfast called _Ocean Shell Shimmer_. Sterne was the maintenance man there." Booth skimmed through his notebook.

"I have that named," he said. "All three families stayed there." Booth looked up at Brennan to see if she was making the connection.

"So Sterne would have met the girls with their families," Brennan said. "Not only because he worked there."

"But because of his daughter," Booth finished. "That has to be it. His daughter died, but the other three girls lived."

"I think," Brennan said. "You just got what you need to crack the bastard." Booth smiled at her.

--

"You're a very clever man, Mr. Sterne," Booth said, as he leaned back somewhat in his chair.

"Oh?" Sterne said. "How so?" Booth sat forward, arms on the table.

"It really did take us a while to connect you to the girls you took," he said. Sterne blinked at him. "But like all criminals, you left evidence behind." Sterne didn't say anything.

"Like the fact that you use to work at Disney World," Booth went on.

"And that you used a Mickey Mouse shirt as a gag," Brennan threw in.

"Not a very smart thing to do," Booth said with a shake of his head.

"That doesn't prove anything," Sterne said.

"It doesn't?" Booth asked, looking over at Brennan. "Really? Because I thought it proved that this jerk was at Disney World the same time Dahlia, Pleasant and Kaitlin was." Booth looked back at Sterne. "Funny, isn't it?"

"Do you know how many people go to Disney World every year?" Sterne asked.

"True, true," Booth began. "But the fact that they all stayed at the Ocean Shell Shimmer Bed and Breakfast proves something, right, Bones?"

"I think so," Brennan said. "Since Sterne worked and lived at the same place, with his daughter." She placed a sheet of paper in front of him.

"See," Booth said. "Now that's interesting. Considering that there was a fire that year."

"Shut up," Sterne warned.

"A fire that claimed the life of a certain little girl," Booth went on.

"Leave her out of this."

"Who was it again?"

"Alona Sterne," Brennan said, placing another piece of paper down.

"That's right, Alona Sterne. Your daughter, correct?"

"She has nothing to do with this," Sterne said.

"But she does," Booth told him. "Since Alona was playing with three little girls that day. Three little girls that made it out alive. You killed Dahlia and Pleasant for revenge Avery," Booth said. "And you were going to kill Kaitlin as well."

"They deserved to die," Sterne said. "They killed my sweet one."

"Wrong," Booth said, slamming his hand down on the table. "A fire killed Alona. Not Dahlia. Not Pleasant. Not Kaitlin." Booth and Brennan stood.

"Kill me if you wish," Sterne said. "At least I'll see my sweet Alona." Booth turned back at the door and looked at the man.

"I don't think you'll be going to the same place as your child," Booth said and then left the room.

--

"I'm so happy to be back," Brennan said, as she and Booth walked into the Medico-Legal Labs of the Jeffersonian.

"Just can't leave your skeletons, eh, Bones?"

"You guys are back," Angela said, jogging up to meet them. "How did everything go?"

"I think we have enough to lock Sterne away for a long time," Booth said.

"That's good," Angela said. "Listen, me and the boys are meeting up at Wong Foo's. You two want to come?" Booth and Brennan looked at each other before answering.

"That sounds great," Brennan said. "Just give us a little while."

"Okay," Angela said, and pushed pass them. "Oh," she called, turning back. "Did you ever figure out why fire ants as a weapon of choice?"

"From what we can gather," Booth began. "The fire part came from the fact that his daughter was killed by fire. A fire ant bite can feel like your skin is on fire."

"But why ants?"

"Easy," Brennan said. "Avery Nathaniel Thomas Sterne." Angela ran the name through her mind.

"ANTS," she said. With a shake of her head she left.

"He was one sick bastard," Booth said, following Brennan to her office.

"That he was." Brennan flipped on the lights and her eyes were drawn to a package on her desk.

"What's that?" Booth asked.

"I don't know." She walked over to it. "The card says to Brennan and Booth." She picked it up and turned to face him.

"Well, open it," he said. Brennan smiled, went to her couch and sat down. She pulled the card off and read it out-loud.

"To Brennan and Booth," she began. "The best partners we know. Signed Angela, Hodgins and Zack." She looked up at Booth who just shrugged. "Why are they giving us a present?" she asked and then dropped her eyes back to the card. "Oh, PS- It's been one year." Again she looked up. "Did you know that?"

"Hadn't thought about it," Booth said. "But I guess it has. Open the present." Brennan sat the card aside, and carefully pulled back the wrapping paper. "What?" he asked when he saw he eyes grow wide. "What is it?" Brennan turned it around for Booth to see. In her hands was a drawing done by Angela of Brennan and him.

Brennan stood tall with most of her weight on her right foot, her left one was slightly forward and turned a little outward. She had her arms crossed over her chest in a stance of strength yet not of annoyance- a completely natural and relaxed pose. Her face was done perfectly, her eyes shining with secrets and her lips turned up in a slight smile. Booth stood just behind Brennan and was turned ever so slightly toward her. Angela had drawn him with one hand you couldn't see- _On Brennan's lower back,_ Booth thought- and his other hand on his hip. His suit jacket pushed out the way, showing his badge. He had a cocky half smile, which was barely there, his eyes and stance both reflecting his protectiveness. The background of the drawing was white and the only colors were their eyes. His- a chocolate brown, hers a magnificent blue. The rest was pencil shading.

"That's amazing," Booth finally said. Brennan turned it back around to look at it. Angela had captured them perfectly.

"She did a great job, but," Brennan stopped. "How do we share a picture?" Booth walked over and sat down beside her.

"We share by you hanging it in your apartment," he said.

"How is that sharing?" Brennan questioned, looking over at him. He offered her a smile.

"Because every time I stop by, I'll see it." Brennan returned his smile and nodded.

"Yeah," she said, and then turned her eyes back to the drawing. "You will."

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L'estremità li ringrazia ed arrivederci

(The end. Thank you and goodbye)

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_Remember, keep an eye out for my new fics. A special 'Thanks' to Goldy. You the woman!_


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